Ancient Lies
by SK Dark Dragon
Summary: The past in Ancient Egypt, told from the not-so-evil High Priest Seto's point of view. -Completed-
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

Ancient Lies  
  
NOTE: Just reading a few stories around, I've noticed lots of authors/authoresses use the Ancient Priest Seto, also known as Seth, as the villain in one or more of their stories. Well, a while ago that really didn't bother me. I though he WAS a villain, and therefore, should obviously be cast as the villain in a story.  
  
But after reading some of the ancient Egyptian/memory arc in the manga, it seems to me that he wasn't much of a villain after all. Or, at least, not the evil, power-seeking, maniac some think he is.  
  
Now the Ancient Egypt arc isn't over yet, and I could be wrong about him, but for now, I just don't see him as a villain, and that's what this story is about.  
  
As a side note, I don't know Yami no Yugi's real name, so I'm just referring to him as "Yami" throughout this story. Also, I'm going to call Seth, Priest Seto.   
  
Disclaimers: First of all, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or any of the characters. And I based most of this story on events that actually happened in the manga. I got my information on the manga from these sites:  
  
www.yugioh.esmartkid.com  
  
http://members.shaw.ca/jenniyah/index.html  
  
Most of the things are the same as in the manga, but I may have changed a few little things and added lines to make my story flow better.  
  
********  
  
Ancient Lies:  
  
Evil.  
  
It's a word used a lot; more often than most think. But who is really worthy of the title "evil"? And I'm not referring to the type of evil your English teacher is when she assigns you extra vocabulary homework over a holiday weekend. No, that's a different type of evil.  
  
What I'm talking about is evil as in killing and destroying with no concern for anyone else but themselves. I'm talking about the evil that's hunting down and enjoying the pain of others. That's truly evil. So, who should be categorized under this "evil" label? I suppose you could say Yami Malik was evil. Yes, he was quite evil.  
  
Maxamillion Pegasus? No, he was not quite evil. He did do terrible things, yes, but he cared for someone. An evil person has no care for anyone other than himself.  
  
Then comes me; the ancient high priest, former owner of the Millennium Rod, and also cousin to Pharaoh Yami. Well, for anyone who said evil, I'd like to ask why? What have I done that would place me under the category "evil"?  
  
********  
  
"There is a monster inside of the heart room of this man," Priest Shadi informed the others, after using the powers of his Millennium Key to examine a man that had been brought before them in a room in the palace of Pharaoh Yami.  
  
"All right then," Priest Akunadin said, stepping forward and using the powers of his Millennium Eye to draw out the monster.  
  
Lastly, I, Priest Seto, used the magic of the Millennium Rod to seal the monster away into a stone tablet.  
  
"That settles that, then," Priest Mahado, owner of the Millennium Ring, announced to the other priests.  
  
"No it doesn't," I protested. "What about the man who contained the monster?"  
  
The priests looked at the man that had been brought before them.  
  
"He is a prisoner, and he was trespassing in the Pharaoh's cemetery," I reminded the other priests. "He ought to be punished."  
  
Akunadin stepped forward.  
  
"No, we've already removed the monster, or Ka, from him, so why not just set him out to work?"  
  
I folded my arms.  
  
  
  
"All right," I agreed, turning to Mahado. "You really need to get better guards to protect the Pharaoh's cemetery. It is our responsibility, after all, to protect the Pharaoh."  
  
"I know," Mahado said timidly. "It's just..."  
  
Mahado was interrupted as Priest Isis gasped.  
  
"What is it, Isis?" Pharaoh Yami asked, walking up to her.  
  
"I sense something...approaching the palace. An dark presence," she admitted, touching her fingers lightly to the Millennium Necklace that hung around her neck.  
  
The other priests looked around.  
  
"A dark presence?" Priest Karim asked, alertly, looking around. "When? Who?"  
  
Isis stepped backwards a little.  
  
"I don't..." she began, but was interrupted as a door to the room flew open, and a strange man walked in.  
  
He was carrying treasures; gold and gems, and other priceless things. Obviously he was a thief. He had long white hair, and cold, dark eyes. On his cheek was a strange and long scar. But the thing that caught the Pharaoh's attention was the last thing the thief was holding; a mummified body.  
  
"Who are you?" I demanded.  
  
"I demand to know what business you have here," The Pharaoh said sternly.  
  
The thief laughed.  
  
"I am a thief and I've just finished robbing the Pharaoh's cemetery," The man laughed. "My name, is Bakura."  
  
"Bakura," The Pharaoh hissed, looking at the mummified body.  
  
"If you just robbed the Pharaoh's cemetery, then that means that the mummy you are holding..." Karim started, but Bakura took over.  
  
He laughed.  
  
"Yes," he said, apparently enjoying the look of shock on the priest's and the Pharaoh's faces. "This is the body of the previous Pharaoh."  
  
"My father!" Pharaoh Yami cried, his anger obviously rising.  
  
"Yes, Pharaoh," Bakura laughed. "I am here to collect your Millennium Items."  
  
He pointed to the puzzle that hung around Yami's neck for emphasis.  
  
"The Millennium Items!" Akunadin gasped.  
  
"You won't get them," I said boldly.  
  
"That's right!" Karim agreed, stepping forward to attack.  
  
But Bakura simply laughed.   
  
"Yes, come attack me priests!" he challenged.  
  
"This thief has a powerful Ka in his mind," Shadi informed the other priests. "We should attack together."  
  
The other priests nodded and began to walk forward, but I stepped in front of them and blocked them.   
  
"No, my power alone is enough to take on this thief," I said, and turned to prepare to duel. "You will pay for trespassing here and breaking the laws of the gods." I snapped at Bakura.  
  
And so the battle began. I summoned a dragon monster to attack his Ka, but it didn't work. My monster ended up defeated. I had failed.  
  
"Come on, Pharaoh!" Bakura taunted Pharaoh Yami. "Come attack me."  
  
But we priests would not allow the Pharaoh to battle this thief. The others joined me in attacking Bakura's great Ka, Diabound, while the Pharaoh collected the body of his father. As hard as we tried, using all our strongest Ka's, the priests could not defeat the Diabound spirit.  
  
"I will fight you now, Bakura," Yami cried, turning around and preparing to summon his monster. "And I won't forgive you for what you have done to my father. And your attempt theft at the Millennium Items!"  
  
"Come on then, Pharaoh," Bakura taunted again, preparing to duel with the Pharaoh.  
  
"Go," Yami said mystically, closing his eyes and summoning a monster to attack Diabound. "Go...Obelisk!"  
  
A huge monster suddenly appeared in front of Pharaoh Yami, defending him from Diabound's attack. It was one of the three god monsters that the Pharaoh can summon.  
  
We priests watched in awe as the Pharaoh commanded Obelisk to attack Diabound, driving it backwards and Bakura fled from the palace.  
  
"Pharaoh," The Pharaoh's helper said, walking up to him. "We will immediately re-bury your father's corpse."  
  
I could tell the Pharaoh was not in the best of moods. But then again, who would be? To disturb a mummified body was to disturb the afterlife of that person, as well as a serious offense. It's not nice to see that happen to anyone, but especially a family member like a father. Then again, I wouldn't know much about how it feels to have a father...  
  
My father left when I was only 4 or 5. He never returned, so I barely knew him.  
  
"Bakura's monster is so powerful..." Karim muttered, thinking to himself.  
  
"You must have better security around the cemetery, Mahado," Shadi warned. "We don't want another break in."  
  
Mahado nodded solemnly.  
  
"I will do better, Pharaoh," he said to Yami, but Yami seemed too interested in making sure the burial of his father took place.  
  
"If you fail, Mahado, you could lose your rank as a priest," I said to him, hoping to make him work harder.  
  
"Only Pharaoh has the authority to do that, Seto," Shadi reminded me. "But you must work hard, Mahado."  
  
My thoughts were along the lines of Shadi's. Mahado needed to get better guards for the cemetery. But also...we needed to find more monsters that were capable of defeating Diabound permanently.   
  
Besides which, we needed to track down that thief Bakura and stop him...  
  
Plans began to form in my mind as night approaches...  
  
******  
  
The next morning, the priests gathered around outside to see a stone tablet with the picture of the Black Magician on it. The Black Magician had been Mahado's Ka.  
  
There was an inscription too. It said, "Pharaoh, my soul will serve you forever."  
  
"Mahado," Yami whispered, realizing what must have happened.   
  
Mahado dueled Bakura...and sacrificed himself to increase the power of his  
  
Black Magician. (He then merged his spirit with his Ka before he died.)  
  
"Mahado's ring!" Akunadin gasped. "It's gone!"  
  
"Where is Bakura, Isis?" I demanded of the priestess, but she merely touched her necklace again.  
  
  
  
"I cannot see," she said simply.  
  
I stepped back to examine the situation. There was really only one answer. I bet Bakura stole the Millennium Ring...taking its powers with him...  
  
"This is bad, Pharaoh," Karim said to Yami. "Now Bakura may have a Millennium Item!"  
  
The Pharaoh nodded.  
  
"Pharaoh," I said with a bow as he watched me with curiosity. "I would like to search the village with a troop of soldiers for any sign of Bakura."  
  
Yami nodded.  
  
"I give you permission, but only if none of the villagers are harmed in the process," Yami said sternly.  
  
"Yes Pharaoh," I replied, turning to go. "Shadi, will you assist me?"  
  
Shadi paused.  
  
"All right," he agreed finally and followed me outside.  
  
I had an idea for finding a strong spirit/Ka. Why not use the prisoners, the criminals, to look for strong Ka's? Perhaps we can test and see what makes a Ka stronger this way...  
  
"Seto, I don't like your plan," Shadi protested as we walked along the streets.  
  
"Nonsense, it's perfect," I said. "We need to protect the Pharaoh and the kingdom. And the only way to do that is by defeating Bakura. We cannot let him get his hands on another Millennium Item."  
  
  
  
Shadi nodded at this.  
  
"Yes, I suppose," he said at last.  
  
So we went about, testing Ka's. One criminal we found had only the Ka of Saggi the Dark Clown. Not much power there. We were walking down another street in the village when suddenly something caught my eye.   
  
A crowd of villagers had apparently crowded around a rather odd looking woman. Her skin was quite fairer than any of the other villagers; almost white and her eyes were blue. She had long, pale hair, and they were pushing her away.  
  
One villager knocked her to the floor.  
  
"Get away, you! We won't give you any water," They said angrily as she fell down into the mud of the streets.  
  
I walked forward and the villagers parted.  
  
"Priest Seto," The said, bowing slightly.   
  
I wasn't in much of a mood to be hearing excuses, but I asked anyway.  
  
"Why do you treat this woman so poorly, just because of her skin color?" I asked, motioning for one of the soldiers to come forward. This wasn't right...especially to hurt a woman like this.  
  
  
  
The villagers only stuttered replies.  
  
"Give her some water and take care of her," I said to one of the soldiers, who took her.  
  
"Seto," Shadi suddenly said, his Millennium Key glowing madly.  
  
"What is it?" I asked, wondering if he had yet found a strong enough Ka.  
  
"This girl...she holds a very strong Ka...in the shape of a White Dragon!" he exclaimed.  
  
"This girl?" I asked in disbelief. The one I had just helped in the street holds one of the most powerful Ka?  
  
*******  
  
End of Chapter 1  
  
Please leave me a review and let me know what you think so far.  
  
"And thanks for reading! Come back soon for chapter 2. I'm thinking this story should be about 2-3 chapters long." -Red Archery Girl 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
NOTE: Although chapter one was pretty much strictly from the manga, here's where things get interesting. (interesting meaning my own ideas...hee hee)   
  
** Indicates where I start to make up the story.  
  
*******  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
Whoever thought in just one evening, so much could take place? Well, I reported to the Pharaoh that we hadn't found any sign of Bakura, but I didn't tell him anything else.  
  
Nothing about the Ka hunt or the girl with the White Dragon spirit. Akunadin tried to tell me that my plan about using the Kas was a bad idea, but I didn't believe him. Perhaps he doesn't understand.  
  
But later, none other than the thief Bakura returned and caused more trouble than before. First, he attacked Akunadin, but luckily, didn't kill him, or take his Millennium Item. Then, he drew the Pharaoh out of the palace and out to the mountainside. And during the battle, the Pharaoh was lost along the mountains, and Shadi has mysteriously vanished.  
  
Now, there are only three priests and one priestess left. And we were the ones who were supposed to protect the Pharaoh...  
  
Later on, Akunadin and I went down to the prison to see the Kas of the prisoners. It was a bit shocked at what was going on. The prisoners fought each other with their Ka, and the Ka grew in strength depending on the prisoner's will to live.  
  
It was actually quite interesting...until the prisoner guard brought in the girl I'd found in the streets, who introduced herself as Kisara, and suggested she fight with the other prisoners. Akunadin agreed and she was sent in.  
  
That didn't go well at all. She didn't seem to have the will to fight at all, and prepared to die. So I stepped in to stop the battle, only to have things turn even worse.  
  
But just when both she and I were cornered by the Ka of one of the prisoners, the White Dragon appeared and destroyed both the Ka and the prisoner to protect us.  
  
I let the girl go back to her room to rest, and Akunadin and the prison guard told me their ideas. That why not remove the Ka of the girl and then give it to someone else...that someone else being me!  
  
But in order to remove a Ka from a person, they would have to die. This didn't seem like a good idea from the start, but Akunadin continued. After I get the spirit, I should become the new Pharaoh.   
  
I managed to shrug off the question, but I don't understand why he's so intent on the idea that the current Pharaoh is dead.   
  
**He may be alive still. He hopefully is still alive...  
  
Night cast an eerie dark blanket over the palace, and it felt as if the darkness itself of evil was enveloping us all as we sat around, doing nothing much.  
  
What was there to do? The troops were still out searching for the Pharaoh, but had no new information on him at all. It seemed that, however I wished to deny it, the Pharaoh might be dead.  
  
"Isis, can't you tell where the Pharaoh is?" I asked her as she fingered the Millennium Necklace again.  
  
She shook her head sadly.  
  
"I cannot tell the future of a Millennium Item owner, or one who is dead," she repeated. "So either the Pharaoh still has the puzzle, or he is..."  
  
She didn't bother finishing her sentence. I didn't need her to either.  
  
"There is, also, another possibility that could be blocking my Millennium Necklace," Isis continued. "That another with a Millennium Item is holding him hostage."  
  
"Bakura, for example?" I asked. I could picture that clearly.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Yes," she agreed.  
  
Karim was staring out the window across the room. Things were so much quieter than in the lighter days...  
  
Suddenly, a thought sprung into my mind. Where was Akunadin?  
  
"Isis, where did Akunadin say he was going?" I asked her, and she looked up, startled.  
  
"He never spoke to me," she replied.  
  
"But where is he?" I asked, but immediately regretted doing so.  
  
"I cannot see the futures of..." she began but I wasn't in the mood to hear her repeat that she couldn't see the futures of Millennium Item owners again.  
  
Instead, I got up and walked out of the room. I was curious as to what Akunadin was up to. After all, he was the only one aside from Shadi who I had informed of my Ka idea.  
  
Shadi. I wonder where he was as well. Perhaps just out helping to find the Pharaoh.  
  
"Akunadin?" I called as I walked down the empty and silent corridors.  
  
He seemed to be nowhere in the palace, I discovered, after 20 minutes of searching. I wouldn't really have been that concerned, but the priests seemed to be disappearing like mad these days.  
  
Perhaps he had gone back to see the prisoners. I thought as I walked outside and over to a building near the palace. As I passed by a few rooms, I realized that this was the building in which Kisara was staying in.  
  
I decided to check up on her condition after the battle this afternoon so I walked down the hallways to her room. As soon as I entered, I knew something was wrong. First of all, she wasn't there.  
  
"Kisara?" I called out, but there was no answer.  
  
Where could that woman have gone off to? It was wasn't safe to just wander around these days...especially with Bakura still at large.  
  
I wandered down the hallways of the building, searching for that girl. Without her, and if the Pharaoh never returns, we would be defenseless against Bakura and his Diabound monster.  
  
I found myself walking down the stairs toward a room I'd never visited. At the end of a long, steep staircase, I saw the shadows of flickering lights of candles on the ground.  
  
"Kisara?" I called, and entered the room.  
  
What I saw upon entering the room was something I'd never have expected to see; ever. Kisara was lying still on a stone table and behind her was a stone tablet used for sealing monsters.  
  
The most horrifying thing, however, was the monster on the tablet, which confirmed my fears about what had happened; The White Dragon was on the tablet, and that could mean only one thing.  
  
Kisara's Ka had been separated from her body, and that would mean she was...  
  
"Dead?" I asked in disbelief, walking forward.  
  
I put a hand to her to see, but it was true. She was as cold as ice. But who would have done such a thing to her?  
  
"There's really only one explanation..." I thought, but at that moment, the White Dragon tablet rattled next to me.  
  
  
  
I backed away. Some Ka are too powerful to be sealed into stone tablets. What if the dragon spirit broke free? Then everything, including the girl's sacrifice would have gone to waste...  
  
"Seto," Came a voice from behind me, and I whirled around to see Akunadin standing in the doorway.   
  
"Akunadin!" I said sternly. "Did you extract the girl's Ka?"  
  
Akunadin smiled.  
  
"Yes, Seto, I did," he answered.  
  
"Why?" I asked, looking over at her still form. "Why?"  
  
Akunadin walked over to the rattling tablet.  
  
"Why? Because, Seto, the spirit belongs to someone better than that girl was." He replied.  
  
"But still," I protested. "This is practically murder! And that's what the Pharaoh said not to do. Not to harm the villagers."  
  
Akunadin faced me.  
  
"You were willing to harm them when you were going to test the Kas of the prisoners," he said in reply.  
  
  
  
That had been true, but I hadn't been looking to kill anyone. I hadn't even been looking to kill the two prisoners that attacked Kisara and I.  
  
"But the Pharaoh..." I began, but Akundain broke in.  
  
"The Pharaoh, is dead!" he said sternly. "Bakura has probably killed him by now."  
  
"You don't know that!" I shot back, watching him as he circled the still rattling tablet.   
  
One corner of the stone cracked a bit.  
  
"But it doesn't matter if he is dead or not," Akunadin replied. "Why not just leave him? You can be the next Pharaoh...son."  
  
His words stunned me. It took me few minutes to find my voice.  
  
"S..son?" I asked in a stammer.   
  
How could that be! Akunadin, my father? He was certainly old enough, but it just didn't seem possible.  
  
"Yes, I am your father," he said to me, staring at me with that one cold eye, and the other, unblinking, gold one.  
  
I managed to overcome my shock and continue.  
  
"But what do you mean, I become the next Pharaoh?" I asked. "We can't abandon hope on Pharaoh Yami."  
  
Suddenly, the Millennium Eye lit up.  
  
"I thought you'd be pleased," he said. "Now you'll have the ultimate Ka at your disposal and become the ultimate ruler with unlimited powers! Far greater than Yami could have done."  
  
I backed away. Power at what cost? The life of the innocent girl and most likely Yami's as well if we gave up the search, which was probable to happen if a new Pharaoh was crowned.  
  
The Millennium Eye shown a golden ray on the tablet of the White Dragon, and I knew what he was doing. He was summoning out the White Dragon's spirit...  
  
"Now, Seto, become the Ka's vessel!" he declared and the spirit of the dragon was drawn out of the tablet...  
  
*******  
  
End of Chapter 2  
  
Please Review and tell me what you think!  
  
"Thanks for reading!" 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Note: The beginning of this chapter and the middle with Isis and the entertainers is not from Priest Seto's point of view. These { } will show the scenes that aren't from his point of view.  
  
And thanks for the reviews, Silent Wolf and Silver Dragon Golden Dragon. ^_^  
  
"Let's go now! Exciting Chapter ahead!"  
  
******  
  
{Out on the mountain range, by the dim light of the sun in the darkening sky, two men were speaking to each other.  
  
"So you have the Pharaoh captive?" One man, face covered by a striped mask, asked the other.  
  
"Somewhat," The other man replied. He was holding a large golden mask in his hands. "The Pharaoh doesn't realize what's going on, and he doesn't know who I am."  
  
The man with the striped mask laughed a high-pitched laugh.  
  
  
  
"He'd never expect one of his own priests would turn on him like this," he said, fishing through a bag he had been holding.  
  
"That's not important right now," The other man replied. "Do you have the potion?"  
  
  
  
The man pulled out a wine skin and handed it to the other.  
  
"Yes, it's in there." He replied, grinning. "I am the best magician in town, you know. I can create all sorts of tricky little potions. The Pharaoh will be in your hands after he drinks that, and since it's in a wine skin, he'll think it's perfectly safe."  
  
The man nodded, and put the golden mask back over his face.  
  
"That's good. I'll let you know how things turn out, Arkana," he replied, walking away.  
  
The magician Arkana nodded and strode off back toward the village.}  
  
*******  
  
A misty blue substance flew out of the tablet, smashing the stone behind it. I backed away from it, not knowing what Akunadin was up to. It was the Millennium Rod that could seal Kas, but transferring a certain Ka to another person...I didn't know which item did that, but I had a sinking feeling the eye might be able to...  
  
"Why are you doing this, Akunadin?" I cried, still backing up, but I found that there was nowhere left to back away.  
  
"Because I never got to enjoy the powers of the Pharaoh. At least now my son will be able to," he said as the blue misty substance suddenly flew directly at me.  
  
I suddenly felt all tingly as the spirit flew into me. I fell to my knees as I was sure the Ka settled itself in my heart/soul room, the Millennium Rod falling to the stone floor with a clatter.  
  
"The Ka transfer is complete," Akunadin said with a grin, walking forward.  
  
What about my other Ka; my old Ka, Diosu? I wondered, but didn't ask. I started to stand up, but suddenly, I felt the same tingling sensation and a orange spirit suddenly flew out.  
  
Diosu.  
  
  
  
Using the powers of the Millennium Rod, I sealed the spirit away into a blank tablet that was lying along the wall. It was sort of sad to put away the Ka who had helped me in countless occasions.  
  
Then, I looked angrily up at Akunadin. I was furious with him; probably more angry than I had been with anyone ever before. Not just for the killing of Kisara, and the replacing of my Ka, and the lack of faith in the Pharoah. But also for leaving me practically fatherless when I was a child, and never telling me until now the truth.  
  
"So, Seto," he said smoothly, walking forward, past Kisara's limp body, toward me. "How does it feel to know that you are now the possessor of the strongest Ka in all of Egypt?"  
  
"That's not your concern," I snapped, getting to my feet. "I can't believe you. The priests are supposed to stay loyal to the Pharaoh..."  
  
I never got to finish my sentence because at that exact moment, a loud noise was heard from outside. It sounded like...cheering!  
  
"Seto! Akunadin? Where are you two?" Came Isis's voice from the hallway.  
  
Quickly, I ran out to meet her. For one thing, I didn't want her to see Kisara's dead body. Secondly, perhaps everyone was cheering because the Pharaoh had returned.  
  
I nearly crashed into her as I ran.  
  
"What is it?" I asked eagerly. I could hear Akunadin coming up behind us.  
  
"There's some sort of band of performers in the palace. They claimed they'd been invited by the Pharaoh months ago," Isis said sadly. "But this is no time for celebration."  
  
  
  
"It most certainly is not," I agreed, although for more reasons than Isis knew.  
  
I looked upstairs.  
  
"What are they doing?" I demanded.  
  
Isis looking tiredly up the stairs as well.  
  
"They're upstairs entertaining," she sighed. "Or at least, they think they are.  
  
"Well get rid of them," I snapped, walking back to the room from which I had just came from, past Akunadin.  
  
"Seto, what are you doing?" Isis called after me.  
  
"I don't want to be bothered," I shot back.  
  
******  
  
{Isis looked quizzically up at Akunadin, but he had already vanished. Turning, she walked slowly back up the stairs.  
  
"What is wrong with the two of them?" she wondered to herself as she heard tapping and clapping from upstairs.  
  
She let out a long sigh.  
  
"The Millennium Necklace sees disaster...and I feel that disaster has already struck as well..."  
  
Upstairs, Karim seemed to be trying to get rid of the entertainers.   
  
  
  
"Please! Don't you understand? This isn't the time!" he cried to one of the dancers who were spinning around the room, wearing glittery gold outfits.  
  
"But, Pharaoh told us to come," One of them spoke up, stopping dancing and walking over to Karim, her short brown hair whipping behind her as she hurried over. "He said so himself."  
  
Karim frowned and placed the Millennium Scales on the stone ground behind him.  
  
"Pharaoh Yami is not here," he said sternly to the girl.  
  
  
  
Her blue eyes grew large.  
  
  
  
"Where is he?" she asked, her partners in dance continuing to dance behind her.  
  
Karim narrowed his eyes.  
  
"We do not know."  
  
"Karim, please tell them to leave," Isis said sadly, touching her Millennium Necklace lightly. "This is no time for a celebration."  
  
"But," The girl cried, turning from Isis back to Karim. "We were supposed to stay here for a week. We are not scheduled to go on yet."  
  
"What is your name?" Karim asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Anzu," The girl replied curiously.  
  
Karim nodded.  
  
"All right, Anzu." He sighed. "You and your band may stay here, but you must promise not to dance or celebrate or sing until the Pharaoh returns," Karim said to her. "Tell that to your friends. Priestess Isis will show you to a room."  
  
"Mai! Ariel! Mollae!" she called, motioning for her friends to stop the act.   
  
As she explained, Karim stepped outside, leaving the performers to Isis.  
  
"Pharaoh," he asked out loud, to no one in particular. "Where are you?"}  
  
*******  
  
I walked over to the stone table on which Kisara's limp and lifeless body lay. According to tradition, her body should be buried, at least, if not mummified. As a priest, I was one of the people who would be involved with the burial...but it seemed strange to think she'd been alive only hours earlier...  
  
I clenched my fist angrily, though I wonder why cared so much because of the death of a peasant. Perhaps it was because she had been so innocent, and unaware of everything.  
  
I picked up her body and put it in a corner. I covered it with a blanket. The burial would have to wait until tomorrow. No one would be up at this time.   
  
I let out a sigh. It didn't matter anymore. What had been done had been done, and I'd have to look to the future instead. Even if I'd received the White Dragon Ka unwillingly, I still owned it now. I could use it to help defeat Bakura...and perhaps find the Pharaoh...  
  
*******  
  
{Anzu settled herself in the sheet of one of the mats that lay around on the floor of the room she and her troop had been given to stay in. It was a change to sleep indoors. Usually she and her band of performers slept outside on a thin and worn blanket.   
  
She rolled over, thinking to herself.  
  
"The Pharaoh missing?" she thought to herself. "I wonder where he is? And I wonder where the other priests are...I thought there were supposed to be 6. I only saw 2."  
  
"What is going on?"  
  
And her blue eyes shone with worry as the moonlight from the window in the wall reflected off of them.}  
  
********  
  
{Meanwhile, the man with the golden mask walked back into the cave. Asleep in the corner, lying in a heap, was the Pharaoh Yami himself, injured from his battle with the thief Bakura.  
  
The man with the golden mask pulled out the wine skin and lay it on the ground.  
  
"Wake up now, Pharaoh," he said gently, tapping Yami on the shoulder.  
  
Yami stirred, and blurrily blinked up at the man.  
  
"You..." he muttered, sitting up a bit, leaning against the wall of the cave. "Who are you?"  
  
"That is not important, Pharaoh," The man replied gruffly, disguising his voice.  
  
He pushed the skin forward to the Pharaoh, and pointed to a cup that was sitting beside the wall.  
  
"Drink this," he encouraged, as Yami picked it up and poured some into the glass, sleepily. "It will help you recover."  
  
"Wine?" Yami asked quizzically, unsure of what the mysterious man meant.  
  
The man nodded, the golden mask clanking against something under his robes.  
  
"Drink." He repeated.  
  
"Why?" Yami thought to himself, taking the cup to his lips and taking a sip. It was very sweet tasting and the moment he tasted it, he felt lighter, happier.  
  
He took another deep sip.  
  
Underneath the golden mask, the man smiled.  
  
"All goes according to plan," he thought. "Drink up, Pharaoh."  
  
******  
  
End of Chapter 3  
  
I've so many ideas, that this story's going to keep on going!  
  
"And for people who didn't know, Anzu is Tea's Japanese name. I thought Anzu sounded a bit more fit for an Egyptian name than Tea did. Same for Arkana over Pandora."  
  
PLEASE leave us a review and let us know what you think! Thanks for reading! ;) 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Note: Same goes for this chapter. The {} indicates that the scene is NOT from Priest Seto's point of view.  
  
******  
  
{The moon rose high in the blue velvet sky as the night progressed. The villagers had all gone back into their homes, the only people remaining on the streets the off-beat people; the ones you didn't want to be seen with. (Most of whom were thieves, or just as bad.)  
  
  
  
Karim had gone to his room to sleep, and most of Anzu's troop had fallen asleep themselves, though she was still slightly awake, her mind spinning with questions.  
  
Isis walked down the now silent and darkening halls. The only light came from the flickering candles settled in their proper holders along the walls, leaving shadows on the floor as Isis walked.  
  
At the bottom of the staircase, she entered the room in which Seto and Akunadin had been talking earlier. The candles had died out, leaving the room engulfed in darkness, aside from the bit of moonlight that came in through the window.  
  
Seto was sleeping soundly against the stone wall in the corner, his Millennium Rod beside him. Isis walked silently into the room, looking around.   
  
"What happened here that made Seto so upset?" she wondered, squinting around to see the contents of the room.   
  
She walked over to the stone tablet on which Diosu's spirit was sealed inside. She gasped.  
  
"That's...Diosu!" she cried upon closer inspection. "Seto's Ka!"  
  
  
  
She looked back over at Seto and narrowed her eyes.  
  
"If you are ever separated from your Ka, you will die," she said softly to herself. "But Seto is still alive...how can he be if his Ka has been removed?"  
  
She looked back around the room, and spotted the broken pieces of te stone tablet which had briefly contained the White dragon Ka.   
  
"Unless...Seto's Ka has been...replaced..." she thought, walking over to the widow, the moonlight glinting off her golden Millennium Necklace.  
  
She sighed and let her chin fall down onto her chest.  
  
"Tragedy," she whispered. "That's all the Millennium Necklace shows..."  
  
********  
  
Meanwhile, Pharaoh Yami's eyelids drooped shut and he fell down onto the stone floor of the cave, sound asleep. The man with the golden mask laughed and pulled it off.  
  
He threw it into the corner, as he wouldn't really be needing it for a while now...now that the Pharaoh had drunken Arkana's potion. The man walked forward, tattoos on his head visible by the light of the moon.  
  
"Soon," he said aloud. "Soon, Pharaoh, the reformation of the city will begin..."}  
  
*******  
  
The next morning, I awoke to find myself still in the room from the night before. It was almost a dread to get up. Today I'd have to bury Kisara, and help find the Pharaoh...if he were still alive.   
  
And worst of all, I'd have to face Akunadin again.  
  
I got to my feet and walked over to Kisara. I gently lifted her up, although she couldn't feel anything anyway, and walked out of the room. I passed by a room in which several girls in fancy outfits were still sleeping.   
  
They must be the performers from last night, I thought to myself as I passed. I was happy, well, as happy as I could be in such situations, that it was still early, as I didn't want to be confronted by anyone.  
  
*******  
  
{As Seto walked on, Anzu walked out of her room and looked up at him.   
  
"Where is that man going?" Anzu asked curiously, walking after him, keeping a safe distance. "And who is that he's holding?"  
  
She hurried after him as he walked out of the building.}  
  
  
  
********  
  
I walked down the back-streets, to a small cave that I had known of. I would bury Kisara there.   
  
As I walked, I thought I heard a rustling noise behind me. I turned quickly to see if anyone was following, but I didn't see anything. It was probably only my imagination; else a spirit of some sort.  
  
I took Kisara to the cave and after the burial, I sealed up the small entrance.  
  
*******  
  
{Anzu watched as Seto walked away.  
  
"He was burying a girl?" Anzu asked herself as she stood off and brushed papyrus off of her thin skirt. "I wonder who she was..."  
  
She walked down the street, contemplating.   
  
"I know he must be one of the priests, as he also has one of the Millennium Items," she thought to herself, as she watched him walk back to the palace up ahead of her. "But is her death linked to the Pharaoh's disappearance?"  
  
Anzu continued down the path, back to the village, to explore the town, and perhaps find answers to her questions.}  
  
*******  
  
I found myself back at the palace, thinking about what to do first. I found Karim in the main room.  
  
"Seto," he said, picking up his Millennium Scales. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you since yesterday..."  
  
I shrugged off the question. I didn't feel like confiding in anyone else. The person I had trusted turned on me, and the other...well...who knows where Shadi is right now.  
  
"I've been busy," I answered simply. "We need to set out to find the Pharaoh." I said.  
  
  
  
Karim nodded.  
  
  
  
"I know. Word is leaking out that he is missing, and the people will begin to demand a new Pharaoh soon, like they did when Akunumakanon died and Yami took over," Karim agreed with a nod, picking up the Millennium Scales. "The city and the palace is vulnerable now, as the Pharaoh is no longer here to summon the god monsters to protect us in the event Bakura returns and attack again..."  
  
I nodded.  
  
The new Pharaoh?  
  
I already knew who that would be, yet I still wanted to find the Pharaoh...alive.  
  
"Seto," I heard a voice behind me and saw Isis walking over to us.  
  
"Isis," I replied with a nod, acknowledging her.  
  
She looked at me with an odd look. I didn't quite know what to make of it.  
  
"Have you seen anything new in the future?" I asked her, but she shook her head.  
  
"No, I haven't. Only tragedy," she sighed.  
  
Tragedy? More tragedy.  
  
That's all that life seemed to be filled with these days.  
  
*******  
  
{Yami's eyes opened slowly, and he sat up. He felt peculiar. Everything around seemed to be covered in a misty white substance. He couldn't see or hear anything.  
  
"Rise, Pharaoh," Suddenly came a voice that penetrated the mist.   
  
It was a deep voice, and a commanding one.  
  
"Rise." It repeated.  
  
Yami stood up instantly.  
  
"Now, go into the city and confront the ones in charge in the your absence." The voice commanded. "Confront them and duel them."  
  
Confront and duel? Yami thought to himself. Why?  
  
"Now!" The voice commanded, and Yami began walking forward, as if controlled by someone or something.  
  
What...is happening? He wondered with what little awareness he had left.}  
  
******  
  
Isis and I walked out down the streets of the village. Karim had stayed behind at the palace to watch over things and be there in case of an attack from Bakura.  
  
I hadn't seen Akunadin since the horrible encounter last night. It didn't matter to me, anyway. I was too angry to be able think straight around him anyhow.   
  
My only slight concern was what Isis would think if we had to defend ourselves and I needed to use the White Dragon. Would she ask at all?  
  
We walked through the market place, the sellers appearing and laying out their goods for the day's business.  
  
"Sir Priest," Came a voice from behind me and I stopped. Isis stopped a few feet ahead of me.  
  
A man with long dark hair tied back into a pony tail was standing behind a table that was covered with golden and beautifully made items. The salesman's eyes were piercing green, and there was a slight scar under one eye.  
  
Beside him was a woman who I supposed was his apprentice. She had long hair as well, but lighter in color. Her eyes were bright blue and she had a glittery necklace around her neck, a large orange gem of some sort clinging to the end.  
  
"We're too busy to be bothered with your items, as pretty as they may look," I said, walking onward.   
  
Isis stayed behind.  
  
"What do you need?" she asked the two.  
  
"We thought we could give you some advice," The woman said with a small smile.  
  
"Advice?" Isis asked curiously.   
  
I stopped walking and turned around.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Yes," The man replied. "We've seen strange looking people wandering around in the mountains up there." He pointed to the mountains he was indicating.  
  
"Strange?" I asked.  
  
The woman nodded.  
  
"Yes," she added. "They were wearing masks."  
  
Isis nodded and closed her eyes.  
  
"I can see one...but the other..." she muttered to herself. "I...I cannot see..."  
  
The woman cocked her head.  
  
"What can't you see, miss?" she asked.  
  
I hurried over and took Isis by her shoulders and led her away from the two salespeople.   
  
"Nothing." I told them as we walked away. "Thank you for your help."  
  
{The woman turned to the man.  
  
"This is odd, wouldn't you say, Ryuji?" she asked him with a sigh as she adjusted her necklace.  
  
He nodded, still staring after the priest and priestess.  
  
"It was quite odd, Amber," he replied, turning back to another customer who had walked up to them during their conversation with Isis and Seto.}  
  
*******  
  
{Back at the palace, Karim looked around.  
  
"I hope Isis and Seto will have luck in their search for the Pharaoh," he muttered to himself as a chill filled the room.   
  
He whirled around to see a man covered by the shadows from the sun walk into the room.  
  
"All alone, eh priest?" Came a very familiar voice as the man walked into the high-ceilinged room, a three-slashed scar on his cheek.  
  
Karim backed up.  
  
  
  
"Bakura!" he hissed, his anger rising, remembering it had been at the hands of this man that Mahado had died.  
  
"Ready to join your friend?" Bakura said with a grin, his eyes narrowing in delight.  
  
******  
  
End of Chapter 4  
  
PLEASE leave us a review and let us know what you think! Thanks for reading!  
  
"Come back tomorrow for chapter 5!" 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
NOTE: Thanks, "?" for the info on Tea's name, but since I started with Anzu I'll just leave it that way for now.  
  
And for anyone who doesn't know, Ryuji is Duke Devlin's Japanese name, (which I'm using over Duke as Ryuji sounded better for the story) and Amber is the name of a character that is seen in my other modern-set Yu-Gi-Oh! Stories.  
  
"Okay! Okay! I want to know what will happen to Karim!"  
  
All right, then. Here we are at Chapter 5!  
  
********  
  
Isis and I continued walking down the dusty paths that led out to the mountains in silence. I was only interested in finding the Pharaoh...and wasn't even sure why Isis had volunteered to come along.  
  
"Seto," she suddenly said, causing me to look at her. "What happened last night? In that room?"  
  
This was the last of things I had expected her to ask. How did she even know about last night at all?  
  
"Nothing," I said quickly. I didn't want to confide in anyone else. I didn't want to have to trust someone else not to use me as Akunadin had...  
  
Isis sighed.  
  
"There's no sense in trying to hide it, Seto," she said smoothly. "I know your Ka has been replaced."  
  
I stopped walking and stared at her.  
  
"That is why Diosu was sealed into a tablet, right?" she asked, turning around and facing me.  
  
"How do you know that?" I demanded. "You said your Millennium Necklace couldn't see..."  
  
"And it can't," Isis replied. "Not the present, nor the future of Millennium Items and their owners. But I don't always rely on the Millennium item to give me knowledge."  
  
I looked away from her. What was she trying learn from questioning me?  
  
"What did you replaced your Ka with?" she asked gently.  
  
"The White Dragon," I replied softly, not looking at her.  
  
  
  
Isis's eyebrows went up.  
  
"White Dragon? What is that?" she asked.  
  
I sighed. There seemed to be no way around telling Isis everything, and before I knew it, I had told her the whole story. How I found Kisara, how she had a powerful Ka, and how Akunadin killed her for her spirit, and replaced Diosu with it.   
  
Isis just listened.  
  
When I was finished, she looked up.  
  
"Why did Akunadin do all this for you? Why would he want you to become Pharaoh and give you the White Dragon Ka?" she asked.  
  
I looked away.  
  
"Seto?" she asked, walking toward me.  
  
"Because he told me he was my father," I replied coldly, staring back at the tiny village we had left behind an hour ago.  
  
Isis gasped.  
  
"How...how could that be?" she asked, frowning. "He's been here for years! Why would he not have told you earlier?"  
  
I frowned.  
  
"I don't know," I replied, and continued to walk down the dirt-covered path.  
  
I could hear Isis behind me.  
  
A few minutes later, I remembered something.  
  
"Isis, what couldn't you see, back when you were talking to that woman and man?" I asked, giving into my curiosity.  
  
Isis put a hand to her necklace again.  
  
"I could see one man up in the mountains, talking to another," she said mysteriously. "But the other...I could not see."  
  
"Why not?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Isis sighed.  
  
"I thought you only couldn't see Millennium Item owners?" I asked. "What's wrong?"  
  
She looked up at me.  
  
"The problem is, Seto, is that the only reason I couldn't see it is because it IS a Millennium Item owner."  
  
I gasped, stopping short.  
  
"It must have been Bakura!" I cried, starting to run. "Come on, Isis!"  
  
Isis looked horrified.  
  
"Seto!" she cried, running after me. "What do you mean? We cannot confront Bakura with our Ka! Even the Pharaoh's god monsters couldn't destroy Diabound!"  
  
I turned around.  
  
"That's not important! If he's up here, then the Pharaoh might be as well! We have to save him."  
  
Isis looked nervous, which is strange. She hardly ever looks nervous because much of the future is already revealed to her.  
  
"Besides," I added, looking determinedly forward. "If we get into a battle with Bakura, I'll see what the White Dragon can really do."  
  
*******  
  
{Bakura walked into the palace room, an evil grin on his face.  
  
"All alone, eh priest?" he said gleefully.  
  
"Bakura," Karim hissed, remembering it was at the hands of this man that Mahado had died.  
  
"Still soar about what happened to your partner?" Bakura taunted, causing Karim to grow angrier with hatred for him. "Well, don't worry. You'll soon be joining him."  
  
"I won't give up without a fight!" Karim declared, preparing to summon a monster.  
  
Bakura laughed as a large monster appeared behind him. Diabound.  
  
"I didn't expect you to!" he said, then narrowed his eyes and looked straight at Karim. "But you will die, just like your friend."  
  
A bead of sweat dripped down Karim's cheek. It was true that nothing he could summon could defeat Diabound, but he wasn't going to back away.  
  
"Battle!" Karim declared.}  
  
*******  
  
{Anzu walked down the empty hallway by herself. Her band of dancers had gone out to explore the city, but Anzu hadn't been in the mood for exploring.  
  
Suddenly, a cry from the palace room echoed through the hallways. She looked around.  
  
"Someone's in trouble!" she cried, running forward.   
  
She burst into the room in which Karim and Bakura had been fighting in time to see Karim back up against the wall, his Millennium Scales falling to the floor with a clang.  
  
Anzu gasped and put her hand to her mouth as she noticed Bakura and Diabound.  
  
"Good bye, priest," Bakura laughed as Karim slid to the ground and the monster he had been fighting with vanished.  
  
Anzu's eyes were wide with fright as Bakura bent over to collect the Millennium Scales.  
  
"That's one more Millennium Item," he laughed to himself, looking down at Karim's lifeless body.  
  
"Go!" A voice in Anzu's head told her. "Go now, while he's distracted, or you'll be the next one!"  
  
Despite her fear, Anzu ran as quickly and silently as she could toward the opening in the wall that lead out of the palace and took off down the paths toward the village.  
  
Bakura was too busy gloating over his most recent and horrible victory to notice the young dancer running away from the scene.}  
  
*******  
  
"Seto!" Isis cried, pointing forward suddenly.  
  
"What is it?" I asked, running up to where she had been.  
  
I followed her gaze and gasped at what I saw. It was the Pharaoh! He was alive and walking toward us!  
  
"Pharaoh!" Isis called.  
  
I rushed forward.  
  
"Pharaoh!" I repeated, but Yami's gaze seemed vacant and he looked queer. "Pharaoh, what's wrong!"  
  
Yami looked up at Isis and Seto.  
  
"You will battle me," he said in a vague and distant voice.  
  
I stopped short.  
  
"What?!" I called. "Why would we fight each other? It's Bakura who is the enemy!"  
  
"You will battle me," Pharaoh Yami repeated and he held out his hand. In it, was the Millennium Puzzle.  
  
~~Flashback~~  
  
{"You're as sly a thief as you are a magician, Arkana," The man who had owned the golden mask earlier had said as he walked up a sarcoghagus on which their were places for each of the Millennium Items.  
  
"I just followed the man here," Arkana replied in his high voice as he waited by the entrance to the tomb.  
  
The man pulled out the puzzle and held it in his hands.  
  
"This makes the man complete now, wouldn't you say?" The man asked Arkana as he tucked the puzzle under his robes and followed Arkana out of the tomb.  
  
Arkana laughed.  
  
"It does indeed," he replied.}  
  
~~End Flashback~~  
  
I gasped.  
  
"The puzzle! You want me to battle you, Pharaoh?" I repeated. "This isn't right! Something is controlling you, or making you do this!"  
  
I turned to Ishizu desperately.  
  
"Who is behind this?" I demanded.  
  
"Someone I cannot see," she sighed, stepping backwards.  
  
"Bakura..." I hissed, then turned back to the Pharaoh.  
  
"Pharaoh!" I declared. "Or should I say Bakura! I will duel you, but if I win, you've got release Yami from your control!"  
  
"Duel me!" Yami repeated.  
  
I looked back at Isis. She was just staring wide-eyed at the Pharaoh. There seemed to be no way around it.  
  
"All right then!" I declared, raising the Millennium Rod. "Let's duel!"  
  
********  
  
End of Chapter 5  
  
Please leave a review and let me know what you think!  
  
"Thanks for reading! Next chapter up tomorrow!" -Red Archery Girl 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
NOTES: "I hope Seto will rescue the Pharaoh too. But some authors **glares at Seto-Kaiba** don't inform their hikaris of what happens in the story!"  
  
  
  
Well, if you listen closely to the show, (at least the original version) you might remember how the dark powers were sealed in ancient Egypt. That plays a major part in this story.  
  
"Ooooh!"  
  
I think that's all Red needed, but you'd better keep your mouth shut about it so you don't spoil it for our readers.  
  
On with Chapter 6!  
  
*******  
  
Chapter 6  
  
I pulled out the Millennium Rod and held it in front of me. The bright sun glinted off of it.  
  
"All right, Bakura," I declared, refusing to call him Pharaoh, as this was not the Pharaoh I was about to be dueling. "Let's duel!"  
  
Yami put the puzzle around his neck, glowing, as he prepared to summon a monster and begin the duel.  
  
"The White Dragon Ka of Kisara's was only used once by her, and that was when she was unconscious. If that's the case for me as well, it won't do much good," I thought to myself as I watched Yami begin to summon his first monster. "But Kisara had little knowledge of a what Ka was, let alone how to control her own, so perhaps I can still summon it like a could Diosu. If need be, I'll need to use it to defeat the Pharaoh's god monsters."  
  
"Please Seto!" Isis cried, speaking for the first time since we'd met the Pharaoh. "You must win!"  
  
Women say the oddest things sometimes. Of course I had to win! Didn't Isis think I knew that already? But the real question was...could I?  
  
******  
  
{Anzu sprinted down the streets, knocking into women carrying the daily laundry and men carrying their goods.  
  
"Baka on'na!" (stupid woman) A man yelled as his cart of fresh fruit fell to the ground and spread out along the streets.  
  
"Sorry!" Anzu cried as she continued to run by the stands.  
  
"Wait!" A female voice called out and Anzu turned around to see Ryuji and Amber, although she didn't know them.  
  
"What is it? I need to find the priests!" Anzu insisted, starting to run again.  
  
"Please," Amber cried, grabbing Anzu's wrist, preventing her from running further. "We know where they are."  
  
Anzu stopped struggling and turned around.  
  
"You do?!" she cried as Amber released her arm, trusting her not to run away now that she had her attention.  
  
Ryuji nodded.  
  
"A priest and priestess were heading up toward the mountains a while ago," he told Anzu. "I haven't seen them come back yet. I believe they're still up there."  
  
Anzu looked very relieved.  
  
"Thank you so much!" she said, bowing slightly, and then taking off down the paths again; the same paths Isis and Seto had taken an hour before.  
  
Amber stared concernedly after the girl as Ryuji began sorting some golden rings on the table. Ryuji looked up.  
  
"Amber? What's wrong?" he asked, following her gaze out to the paths.  
  
"I think that girl might need help," Amber said, turning to the man.  
  
Ryuji sighed.  
  
"Well, I guess I could close down early," he said to her with a little smile. "Go on ahead, and I'll catch up with you."  
  
Amber nodded.  
  
"Thank you, Ryuji!" she cried, running away from the table and down the path, the tail of her white slip flying behind her.}  
  
  
  
********  
  
"I summon the Darkfire Soldier!" Yami cried in his oddly distant voice, and a large warrior with a flaming sword in hand appeared in front of him  
  
I grinned. No sense in pulling out the White Dragon right now on this creature. It, that is, I could summon it properly.  
  
I held up the Millennium Rod.  
  
"I summon La Jinn, the Mystical Genie!" I cried, and a white light streaked across the sky and landed in front of me in the form of the genie.  
  
Isis watched, wide-eyed.  
  
"Attack the Darkfire Soldier!" I called out, and the Genie blasted the DarkFire Soldier away.  
  
Yami frowned.  
  
"Play time is over, Seto," he said to me, which struck me as odd.  
  
How did Bakura know my name? During the previous attack, he only called us "priests." This was odd...  
  
I think Isis thought so as well, because she had put her hand up to her necklace again, eyes closed in meditation.  
  
I decided to let her do the thinking; I needed to duel.  
  
"What do you mean?" I demanded.  
  
Yami's Millennium Puzzle lit up once more and began to glow, and I heard the sound of another monster being summoned. Then, in front of Yami, came one of the monsters I had been expecting from the beginning: Osiris the Sky Dragon.  
  
"Attack La Ginn!" Yami cried and the huge, red dragon opened it's mouth and shot a white fire ball at my monster, destroying it and causing dust to rise up from the ground, engulfing Isis and I.  
  
Yami laughed a laugh that was quite unlike the Pharaoh's own in his usual state. I looked up at the Osiris dragon towering above me. There was only one monster that could defeat this one, and I knew what I had to do.   
  
"It's your move, Seto," Yami said evilly, eyes narrowing at me.  
  
******  
  
{Anzu hurried up a steep path, tripping over a rock and skidding to the ground.  
  
"Ow," she muttered, rubbing at the ground burn the sand had given her.  
  
"Hey!" Came a voice from behind her and she turned around as she stood up. It was the girl from the market place before.  
  
Panting, she ran up to Anzu.  
  
"What is it?" Anzu asked curiously.  
  
"I...thought you might need help," Amber explained. "My husband is going to help out too, once he finished collecting things."  
  
"Thanks, but, why did you think I was in need of help?" Anzu asked, though grateful for the woman's aid.  
  
Amber shrugged, brushing a strip of her brown hair out of her face.  
  
"We've been seeing strange people up here. We thought it would be dangerous for you to go alone," Amber replied. "By the way, my name is Amber."  
  
Anzu nodded.  
  
"I'm Anzu," she told Amber as they began their way up the mountainside. "I'm a dancer visiting town with my group, but then I found out the Pharaoh was missing, and now..."   
  
She broke off.  
  
Amber looked over at the girl with concern.  
  
  
  
"What is it?" she asked gently.  
  
Anzu looked up, fear in her eyes.  
  
"I saw a white-haired man with a terrible monster KILL one of the priests!" she cried.  
  
Amber looked at her.  
  
"Are you telling the truth?! Another priest has died at the hands of the thief?" Amber cried.  
  
Anzu nodded, then stopped.  
  
"Another?" she whispered.  
  
Amber nodded grimly.  
  
"The Priest Mahado was killed in a battle a few days ago, or at least, that's the rumor," she said to Anzu.  
  
Anzu nodded in acknowledgement.  
  
"I need to tell the other priests what happened!"  
  
"Oi!" Came Ryuji's voice from behind them as he ran to catch up. "Wait for me, Amber!"  
  
"Sorry, Ryuji," Amber apologized, waiting for him to catch up. "But this girl's got something important to tell the priests, let's go!"  
  
Ryuji nodded.}  
  
********  
  
I took a deep breath. It was time to test the White dragon's powers.  
  
"Come out, White Dragon!" I shouted, shut my eyes and prepared for anything.  
  
A whoosh of wind blew by, blowing my bangs up. I heard Isis gasp and Yami call out, "What is this?!"  
  
I opened my eyes and I saw the humongous figure of the magnificent white dragon...my Ka, though it felt strange saying that. To me, my Ka was still Diosu.  
  
"That...that is the White Dragon?!" Isis exclaimed, taking another step away from the battle.  
  
"What...what is that?!" Yami cried, backing away.  
  
I grinned despite myself.  
  
"The demise of your Osiris!" I cried, thrusting my hand forward. "White Dragon! Attack Osiris!" I cried.  
  
The White Dragon opened it's mouth and sent a jet of what appeared to be white lightning at the god monster, destroying it and causing quite an explosion.  
  
I shielded my face from the dirt that was flying up and when the dust cleared, I saw Yami, looking stunned.  
  
"Give up now?" I asked, tripping over a small hole in the ground as I was walking forward. (The White Dragon had retreated back to my mind for some reason.)  
  
Yami looked dazed.  
  
"Bakura?" I demanded, a few feet from Yami, when he blinked and staggered forward.  
  
I caught him before he could collapse.  
  
"Pharaoh?" I asked, helping him back to his feet.  
  
"Seto?" he asked. "Isis?"  
  
Isis ran up behind me.  
  
"Has Bakura stopped possessing you Pharaoh?" I asked.  
  
Yami nodded slowly, then stopped.  
  
"Bakura?" he asked. "I don't think it was Bakura...no...not Bakura at all."  
  
I blinked curiously.  
  
"Not Bakura? But Isis, you said it was a Millennium Item owner!" I cried, turning to her.  
  
Isis looked sadly down at the ground.   
  
"It indeed is," she said with a saddened tone. "But item owners include ourselves, you know."  
  
I stopped the think, which was a bit difficult. I felt oddly drained after the battle with Yami.  
  
"Akunadin!" I cried suddenly, looking back toward the castle.  
  
Isis shook her head.  
  
"I saw him milling around the market place this morning when we left. I doubt it could be him," she replied, the wind blowing her hair in her face and she smoothed it back.  
  
I frowned.  
  
"But Isis, who else could it be?" I asked at first, but Yami gasped.  
  
"Could it be...Shadi?" he asked, looking at the two of us, wide-eyed.  
  
******  
  
{Meanwhile, Bakura was wandering down the hallways of the palace.  
  
"Where are you, my slave?" he called, looking for Akunadin, whose dark side he had "awakened."  
  
Akunadin was actually sitting down in the room Seto and he had been in the night before.  
  
"I saw Isis and Seto today, in the market..." he thought to himself. "I also saw through their actions and thoughts."  
  
He sighed.  
  
"They were going to find the Pharaoh..." he thought sadly, thinking how Seto hadn't wanted to become the new Pharaoh with knowledge of what happened to the current Pharaoh.  
  
There was a jingling at the doorway, and Akunadin looked up.  
  
"Bakura!" he cried, jumping up, remembering their last encounter.  
  
"Priest," he hissed, walking forward holding the Millennium Scales in his hands, the golden material clanking against the Millennium Ring on his neck.  
  
"The...the Millennium Scales!" Akunadin cried, backing away. "Have you murdered Karim just as you did Mahado?!"  
  
Bakura grinned the evil maniac grin he always did.  
  
"Yes, I did," he said happily. "And now, I'll add your eye to my collection..."  
  
"My...my eye!" Akunadin cried, backing up even more, but hitting the stone wall behind him.  
  
Bakura nodded, putting the scales on the ground for a moment.  
  
"You've outgrown your usefulness," he declared, moving in on the old priest.  
  
And if anyone had been close, they would have heard a terrible scream and another maniac laugh, as Bakura moved one step closer to his goal...}  
  
*******  
  
End of Chapter 6  
  
"Please review!"  
  
Next chapter up tomorrow! And sorry all Shadi-fans. He won't stay bad forever, don't worry. ;) 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
NOTES: Why did I make Shadi bad? First of all, I never said he was "Evil." Remember back in the first chapter? No, I wouldn't say he's evil even right now. And secondly, I never said he wouldn't have a change of heart.  
  
  
  
(SPOILER...MAYBE if you haven't seen this episode in the original version) Now, I made Shadi a bad-guy for now because of what I've seen of him in the anime. I know the dub has screwed things up, but if you watch the original version, Shadi told Malik when he was a kid, that it was the Pharaoh's spirit that caused the tragedy of his tribe, and that's why Malik was so convinced that it was Yami who killed his father.  
  
Now, WHY did Shadi say that? I don't know. (I would sure LIKE to know, but I don't)  
  
He just seems kind of a mysterious character that I never really liked very much and that's why I decided to have him be the way he is right now.  
  
Ok! ^_^ And one more thing: " ~~ " Indicates a flashback.  
  
"Chapter 7...let's go!"  
  
********  
  
Chapter 7:  
  
"Shadi?!" I cried, staring at Isis in disbelief.   
  
How in the world could it have been Shadi controlling the Pharaoh, and wanting to duel me? What reasons would he have for doing any of that. Unless...  
  
Isis looked sad.  
  
"The only other explanation is that it is Shadi," she said, her voice barely audible. "Everything seems to point towards him now. He's been missing for days..."  
  
"He knew my name," I added, remembering how it had been odd when he addressed me by my name rather than just "priest," as Bakura usually used.  
  
Isis nodded.  
  
"And all while I was being used...the voice in my head, come to think of it, sounded a lot like his does," Yami added, looking from Isis to Seto, and then looking around at the surroundings.  
  
"We're still up in the mountains?" Yami asked curiously.  
  
I nodded, then turned back toward the village.  
  
"We should get you back to the palace, Pharaoh," I said and Isis nodded.   
  
"Yes, we should." she added, and the three of us began walking back toward the palace.  
  
We had only walked for a little while, Pharaoh explaining his experiences, when I suddenly noticed three figures coming up the path toward us.  
  
  
  
"Who do you suppose they are?" I asked, looking down at them.  
  
There were two women, one of the dancers from the palace, and the salesgirl from the market. Also with them was the salesman.  
  
  
  
The man waved.  
  
"Oi! Priests!" he called as we hurried up to them. "We've got to talk..."  
  
He trailed off noticing the Pharaoh.  
  
"Pharaoh!" he cried, taking a bow. (The girls also followed the suit.)  
  
"What do you have to tell us?" Yami asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
The dancer grew silent.  
  
"Well, Pharaoh," she began. "I believe that thief Bakura has killed one of your priests."  
  
Isis put a hand to her mouth, Yami's eyes grew wide.  
  
"Which one?" I demanded and the dancer looked even more nervous than she had before.  
  
She swallowed.  
  
"I think that...it was the one...with the scale-type golden item. And the thief took it afterwards," she said in a small voice, knowing that most likely they weren't going to like the idea of their friend's death.  
  
"Karim," Yami whispered, and Isis sighed with sadness.  
  
This was the second priest that Bakura had gotten away with killing. I clenched my left fist angrily, and my right fist gripped the handle of the Millennium Rod.  
  
"How could he..." I muttered angrily.  
  
Yami looked back toward the city.  
  
"Where were they when this happened?" Isis asked, curiously.  
  
The dancer looked back toward the palace and pointing one thin finger toward it.  
  
"At the palace," she informed her.  
  
I looked back at the palace determinedly.  
  
"Then that's where we need to go," I informed Yami and Isis. "Let's go!"  
  
I walked forward, past the villagers and dancer, down the path. Yami lingered a moment longer.  
  
{"Thank you so much for you help," Yami said to the dancer. "What is your name?" he added, lifting up her chin with his finger so she would look up at him rather than down into the ground.  
  
"Anzu," she whispered.}  
  
"Thank you, Anzu," he said, and then, after a thanks to Amber and Ryuji, he continued on after me, Isis by his side.  
  
*******  
  
{Over on the east side of the village, on the Acropolis was a young man. His long, beige hair hung down over his tan skin, and he was busily applying embalming salts to two dead bodies. (This man is an Embalmer, the people who embalm and mummify dead bodies. They live on the Acropolis and aren't allowed out most of the time.)  
  
After applying the last of the salts, he sat back and wiped a bead of sweat off of his forehead.  
  
"It's odd to think that two priests would die on the same day," The man thought as he wiped off his hands. "Something tells me those soldiers weren't telling me the whole story...or else they didn't know themselves..."  
  
~~ "We've got the bodies of two priests here," One soldier said, putting the limp figures gently on the table as the man had come into the room.   
  
"Do we have the family's instructions yet?" The man had asked, looking over the two bodies.  
  
They both looked relatively in good shape, aside from a large gash on one, and the second one was missing one of his eyes. The man was used seeing dead bodies, however.  
  
"They aren't necessary," The soldier said, waving his hand unconcernedly. "They were priests of the Pharaoh, and he's not there. Just do the job, Malik."  
  
Malik nodded. ~~  
  
Malik stared out of the open part of the wall that acted as a window. Most of the time, his job was quite boring, seeing as how the salts had to set for weeks before the body was ready to be wrapped.  
  
"I wish he'd come..." Malik said, trailing off as he saw what he had been hoping for.  
  
"Lishito!" he cried, jumping up and running to the doorway to greet his fried.  
  
"Greetings, Malik," The tall man called Lishito replied.  
  
"How was everything at the stone shop?" Malik asked.  
  
Lishito worked at a stone shop, making things out of stone by carving and cutting.  
  
"Fine," Lishito replied, sitting down across from Malik and noticing the two dead bodies.  
  
Since he visited Malik often, the dead bodies didn't frighten him much either.  
  
"Who do we have here?" he asked, indicating the bodies.  
  
Malik sighed.  
  
"They're the bodies of two of the Pharaoh's priests," he said glumly. "I reckon someone killed them both."  
  
Lishito nodded.  
  
"There are only 3 priests left now," he said sadly. "And the Pharaoh..."  
  
Malik looked down.  
  
"Is still missing. What will become of our village?" Malik said sadly.}  
  
*********  
  
We walked through the village, everyone bowing at the Pharoah as we made our way through the crowds. Although the Pharaoh looked happy, I knew inwardly he was saddened at the death of another one of his friends.  
  
Isis could tell that too, I'm sure. She looked lost in her own thoughts.  
  
I, meanwhile, was going back to Shadi's motives. The only thing I could think of that would motivate him to use the Pharaoh like this was me. My plans about the Kas.  
  
Shadi had been opposed to my plans from the start. If he had taken over the Pharaoh, he would have asked him to play and defeat me so my plans wouldn't work.  
  
But I don't think he'd expected that I'd already have the White Dragon Ka. To be perfectly honest, I hadn't thought that I would have the White Dragon Ka either.  
  
Yami, Isis, and I all stopped for a moment before entering the palace. But before we could walk inside, a soldier came solemnly up to the Pharaoh.  
  
"Yes?" Yami asked sadly.  
  
The soldier bowed, then stood up again.  
  
"I regret to inform you that two of your priests have been murdered by Bakura," The soldier said solemnly.  
  
Isis, Yami's, and my own eyes grew wide.  
  
"2 more?!" Yami cried. "That means...Akunadin!"  
  
The soldier nodded.  
  
"And Karim," he finished for Yami.  
  
Yami walked into the palace without another word.  
  
  
  
*******  
  
End of Chapter 7  
  
Please leave a review and let us know what you think!  
  
"Thanks for reading and next chapter up tomorrow!" 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight  
  
Notes: Lady of the Thread: I supposed Seto could have overheard them in that scene...sometimes I don't know whether to have him overheard things or not. ^_^'  
  
Also, I don't know why I had the Egyptian man say something in Japanese a few chapters ago...*shrug*  
  
  
  
"It's a Japanese anime, so she kind of forgets it's actually SET in Ancient Egypt."  
  
Okay! Let's begin!  
  
******  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
I followed after Yami, Isis behind me. We didn't say anything, I because I knew Yami hadn't been expecting the deaths of two of his priests in one day.  
  
I felt sorry for Karim; he'd stayed behind to protect the palace, and ended up dying in the process. Akunadin...after everything he'd done to me and other people, I found it hard to feel bad for him.  
  
Inside the palace, Yami collapsed on the throne looking weary. Isis took a seat across the room near the window that Karim had been looking out of just the very night before.  
  
I paced around, thinking. Bakura was near...surely we all knew that. He probably wouldn't strike again so soon, with all the soldiers already guarding and ready for an attack, so we had time to plan.  
  
The thing that got me the most curious, however, was the White Dragon. It seemed to work normally, although, it did retreat to my mind before I had wanted/commanded it to.  
  
If it beat Osiris in one attack, maybe it could defeat Diabound as well...  
  
After several silent minutes, Yami stood up, looking determined again, just as he had before all the attacks from Bakura.  
  
"We must seek out Bakura," Yami declared. "It's the only thing to do to protect our city. We may not have a monster to defeat it alone, but maybe our powers combined will be enough."  
  
I raised an eyebrow. The Pharaoh didn't know about the White Dragon Ka, since he had been controlled during the duel. Should I tell him about it?  
  
I thought hard. Telling him would have to mean admitting I had started a plan (the Ka searching plan) without his permission. I'm not sure how he would take that news...especially after Shadi's apparent betrayal.  
  
Isis stood up.  
  
"Pharaoh, we will fight by your side until death," she said firmly, her blue eyes shining in the candlelight.  
  
I nodded. That was true.  
  
"We will," I added.  
  
Secretly in my mind, I thanked Isis for not brining up the White Dragon. She was letting me explain myself when I chose to. That's the kind of person I admire. Someone who you can confide in, without them taking the information and using it for their own benefits.   
  
But then, Isis normally knew much about the future anyway. Perhaps it was just an acquired habit.  
  
Yami walked toward the palace entrance.  
  
"Let us begin our quest," he declared.  
  
********  
  
{Anzu, Amber, and Ryuji walked back through the village streets together, talking amongst themselves as the shopkeepers began closing up for evening.  
  
"You were quite right in what you did," Amber was saying, patting Anzu on the back. "Your information was probably very helpful to the Pharaoh."  
  
Anzu nodded slowly, but inside, she felt sad; Sad for the Pharaoh and at the loss of his friend.  
  
"I feel sad for the Pharaoh," she mumbled.  
  
Ryuji nodded.  
  
"It must be hard for him," he replied as they passed a man hurrying through the crowd, his long hair flying behind him, and his face buried in a cloak.  
  
Anzu nodded.  
  
"I would feel awful if one of my dance partners were killed," she continued.  
  
Amber sighed and looked up at the orange, setting sun.  
  
"That is the way life is, Anzu," she said wisely, with a hint of a sigh. "We enjoy our time here, but when the gods decide it is one's time, they must go on."  
  
Anzu nodded again.  
  
Amber smiled and raised her voice.  
  
"But then, there's the afterlife. We will meet them again there," she told Anzu, patting her on the shoulder as they walked by a few women rushing to their homes.  
  
Anzu smiled up at Amber and Ryuji.  
  
"Thank you for your help," she said to the two. "I greatly appreciate it."  
  
The two smiled back.  
  
Anzu looked toward the palace.  
  
"I think I'm going to go back to the palace for the night," she said to them.  
  
"All right," Amber said, waving as Anzu began walking away. "Take care now!"  
  
Anzu nodded and waved back.  
  
"I will!"}  
  
********  
  
Isis asked for us to wait a moment while she ran to check on the guests in the palace, to make sure Bakura hadn't found them during his "visit" to the palace.  
  
I suspected she'd done this on purpose not only to check on the guests but to leave me alone with the Pharaoh, most likely in hopes that I would tell him about the White Dragon...but I wasn't sure now was the right time to.  
  
"It's hard to think Shadi would really..." Yami began, but trailed off as he stared out into the evening scenery.  
  
I nodded.  
  
"It is," I replied with a sigh, feeling guilty. Was it my fault the Pharaoh had been possessed? That Shadi had turned? Was it all because of MY plan?  
  
I didn't have time to dwell on these thoughts, as at that moment, Isis walked back into the room, smoothing out her dress.  
  
"Three of the dancers are back in their room, but the fourth, the girl called Anzu, hasn't returned yet," Isis informed us.  
  
I nodded.  
  
"She was with others," Yami said absentmindedly, thinking about things clearly deeper. "I am certain she will be all right."  
  
Isis nodded, a sad look in her blue eyes.  
  
"Shall we proceed to find Bakura, Pharaoh?" she asked in a hushed voice.  
  
Yami was about to open his mouth, when a chilly wind blew by, and we all looked up to see a man in a cloak at the entrance of the palace. Yami backed up a few steps as the sky itself darkened outside, and a few of the candles that kept the room lit blew out.  
  
Then, a familiar maniac laugh filled the room and seemed to surround us, and I knew.  
  
"Bakura!" Yami cried.  
  
*********  
  
{Meanwhile, a man was walking down the mountains with a saddening expression on his face. He regretted deeply what he had just done, especially now that he had lost...  
  
"I can't believe my attempts to stop Priest Seto failed," Shadi muttered to himself. "He already has removed the White Dragon from the girl and replaced his own Ka."  
  
Shadi looked down at the city, and sighed.  
  
"And now, I've even betrayed the Pharaoh's trust," he said sadly. "How can I ever return?"  
  
Suddenly, he noticed a dark shadow hovering over the palace.  
  
"That dark presence," he whispered. "It could only mean one thing; Bakura!"}  
  
********  
  
I backed up, Yami and Isis following the suit as the white-haired thief tossed off the dark cloak that he had been disguising himself with and let it blow away in the wind.  
  
"Bakura," Yami hissed angrily, and I could see the hatred in his eyes.   
  
Bakura drew closer.  
  
"Evening, Pharaoh," he said casually, in a mock-friendly voice. "But where are the rest of your friends?"  
  
The remark touched a nerve in the Pharaoh.  
  
"Bakura! You're terrible! You've murdered again and again, and now you will pay for what you have done!" Yami shouted, his entire body shaking with anger.  
  
The thief laughed.  
  
"Oh will I?" he said with a chuckled, the Millennium Ring around his neck glowing.  
  
The ring...  
  
"What did you do with the Millennium Eye and Scales?" I demanded, my eyes narrowing.  
  
Bakura turned his horrid glare toward me.  
  
"Back on the slate in the tomb," he said simply. "Where I will soon lay all 7 Millennium Items. Soon, once you two and the Pharaoh die, which won't be long." He chuckled, indicating Isis and I.  
  
I clenched my fists.  
  
"You have to duel us first!" Isis declared, trying to back the Pharaoh up. "We won't let you take the items until you've gotten through us!"  
  
This caused Bakura to laugh even more; that high-pitched laugh that filled my ears and caused my anger to grow inside my body.  
  
"But woman, neither you, nor the Pharaoh, nor ANY of the priests possess a monster powerful enough to defeat Diabound," he snickered, throwing out his arms and preparing to summon his beast. "If you remember correctly, Pharaoh, you nearly died during our last battle. It's a surprise to see you again...especially with the Millennium Puzzle." He raised an eyebrow.  
  
"How did you regain your item, Pharaoh?" he wondered out loud.  
  
Shadi probably took it and gave it the Pharaoh, I thought, but hopefully Yami wouldn't let on that he didn't know. If we could at least pretend that we knew the location of this tomb, it might cause Bakura to lose some confidence.  
  
"That's none of your concern," Yami snapped, his puzzle glowing.  
  
My rod and Isis's necklace also began to glow.  
  
"Let's begin!" I declared, and another chilly wind blew by as the most important duel ever began...  
  
*******  
  
End of Chapter 8  
  
Thanks for reading, and please review!  
  
"Yes, and Chapter nine will most likely be up tomorrow! Come back soon!"  
  
) 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
  
IMPORTANT NOTES: First of all, thank you for the reviews everyone. ^_^ I think the "Change" will come as a bit of a shock to Yami and Bakura too...:P  
  
"Secondly! Get to the IMPORTANT note!"  
  
Yes, er, Red is making put a small warning on this chapter...  
  
"SMALL?!"  
  
Okay! A warning because, although I normally cannot STAND character-death in stories, the deaths that have happened...  
  
"And WILL happen in this chapter!"  
  
...haven't really bothered me in the same way, maybe because of the fact that they're the ancient characters. Anyway, just wanted people to be warned.  
  
"*sniffles* Good. Now, on with the chapter!"  
  
Yes!  
  
********  
  
Chapter 9  
  
{Anzu hurried down the village paths toward the palace, not wanting to be caught out at night. As she ran, she suddenly spotted a young boy in the middle of the path.  
  
"What are you doing out this late?" Anzu demanded, slowing to a stop and pausing to examine the boy.  
  
The boy looked up at her with his large gray eyes. He had long dark hair and was walking in the same direction Anzu had been heading; toward the palace. He backed away from Anzu, looking nervous.  
  
"I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized. "I just wondered where you were going."  
  
The little boy sighed.  
  
"I'm going to see my friend," he said simply and started off again.  
  
"Your...friend?" Anzu asked, running after the little boy and stepping in front of him. "Who is your friend?"  
  
The boy glared at her.  
  
"Just someone at the palace," he said, irritated. "Where are YOU going?"  
  
"To the palace too," Anzu said, turning around to see if it was in view. "I'm staying there. What's your name?"  
  
"Mokuba," he replied, stepping around Anzu and continuing to walk. "And I'm going to see my friend; one of the priests."  
  
Anzu stopped dead. What if the priest he was going to see was one that had died?  
  
She ran after the boy.  
  
"Wait!" she cried, stepping in front of him once more. "Please, which priest are you looking for?"  
  
Mokuba raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Why does that matter? I'm going to see Priest Seto," he said rather reluctantly. "He's so cool. I've talked to him a few times and he's really nice as well."  
  
Anzu sighed with relief.  
  
"Can I go now?" Mokuba asked, tapping his foot impatiently.  
  
Anzu stepped out of the way.  
  
"Of course," she said, following after the boy as he walked forward and toward the palace.}  
  
*******  
  
"So, priests, you may all play together, as none of your creatures are powerful enough to defeat my Diabound anyway," Bakura laughed, summoning the great beast.  
  
A rush of harsh wind roared by and blew my bangs up. I shielded my eyes from the bits of debris and dirt that were flying around in the heavy wind as Diabound, the terrible monster, appeared behind Bakura, the tip of it's head nearly reaching the ceiling of the large room.  
  
"Your move, Pharaoh!" Bakura yelled over the noise, laughter in his voice.  
  
I narrowed my eyes. The Pharaoh's monsters weren't strong enough to beat Diabound. Now would be a an opportune time to summon my White Dragon.  
  
The Pharaoh's Millennium Puzzle began to glow.  
  
"Wait Pharaoh!" I cried. "Let me summon first!" I called out to him, but he ignored me.  
  
"Come out, Winged Dragon of Ra!" Yami cried, and the huge yellow dragon appeared in front of Yami, ready to confront the monster of Bakura's.  
  
Bakura laughed.  
  
"You foolish Pharaoh," he said, waving a finger at him. "Your Ra monster cannot even compare to that of Diabound. Attack Diabound!" he cried, and the monster lunged forward, wrapping its enormous claws around Ra's neck.  
  
"Ra!" Yami cried, looking up at his monster.  
  
"It's my turn!" Isis cried, her necklace glowing. "And I'll use a magic spell! Block Attack!"  
  
Diabound suddenly let go of Ra's neck, and curled up into a ball on the palace floor. Isis smiled with her success.  
  
Bakura laughed again.  
  
"Even IF you've put Diabound in defense position, he's still much too powerful to be defeated by Ra," he chuckled flipping back a lock of his white hair. "Prepare to die, Pharaoh..." he hissed and Yami narrowed his eyes angrily.  
  
"And I summon out my Ka, the Spirit Superior to defend," she concluded.  
  
"My turn!" I cried, before Yami or Bakura could make another move. Now was the perfect moment, if everything goes right...  
  
"I summon the White Dragon!" I cried, closing my eyes and concentrating, the Millennium Rod glowing in my hands.  
  
A huge rush of wind blew by the four of us in the room as I felt the White Dragon appear behind me.  
  
"Wha...what is that?!" Yami cried.  
  
"White Dragon!?" Bakura exclaimed, for the first time, a hint of fear in his voice.  
  
  
  
I opened my eyes and sure enough, behind me once again was the mighty white Dragon, its magnificent wings flapping, and blowing wind that caused everyone's hair to fly wild.  
  
"Seto!" Yami cried in disbelief. "Where did you get this monster? What happened to your real Ka?"  
  
I looked over at the Pharaoh, sadness in my eyes.  
  
"Pharaoh, I betrayed your trust and started a search for strong Ka," I admitted. "And I found a girl with a very strong Ka. Akunadin separated her Ka and replaced my own with it. But I am mostly to blame in the first place."  
  
  
  
Yami's eyes were wide, but not angry.  
  
"Seto..."  
  
Suddenly, there was a noise from in front of us. Isis, Yami and I looked forward and saw Diabound going back into attacking condition. We had wasted too much time.  
  
"White Dragon!" I cried. "Attack Diabound!"  
  
The White Dragon let a bolt of white lightening lose from its mouth which flew across the room at Diabound.  
  
Bakura laughed maniacally as the bolt soared toward his monster.  
  
"Don't you remember? Diabound can retreat back to my mind if attack!" Bakura shouted with a grin on his face. "So you'll waste your attack, and your energy, and won't damage my monster!"  
  
I gasped. I had forgotten that.  
  
"Oh no!" Yami cried, looking onward in horror.  
  
But suddenly, a large ring appeared around Diabound, holding it in place. Yami, Isis, I, and even Bakura turned to see a tall man standing in the doorway behind us, a Millennium Item glowing around his neck.  
  
"Sh..Shadi!" Yami cried, looking amazed.  
  
"When Spell-Binding Circle is activated, your creature cannot move nor attack," Shadi said. "Now Seto's attack WILL get through to you."  
  
"Attack!" I cried, and the white lighting hit Diabound.  
  
A horrible screech emitted from the beast as the white lightning engulfed it.  
  
Shadi turned to the Pharaoh.  
  
"Pharaoh, forgive me for my recent actions," he said solemnly.  
  
Yami nodded.  
  
"Don't worry," he said to him, looking clearly pleased one of his priests had returned.  
  
"Ah, what a lovely reunion," he said with a smug smile. "Though even though your attack hit Diabound, it only weakened him, and didn't destroy him."  
  
I gasped. Diabound was still standing!  
  
Bakura turned to Shadi.  
  
"However, priest, you won't be as lucky," he said and Diabound lunged forward and attack Shadi.  
  
"Shadi!" Yami cried.  
  
"Oh no!" I cried.  
  
Isis gasped as the attack surrounded the priest and Bakura laughed again.  
  
"White Dragon!" I cried.  
  
"Ra, attack!" Yami ordered, trying to stop Diabound from finishing off Shadi, but it was no use. Diabound retreated to Bakura's mind as our attacks neared.  
  
"No!" I hissed, my hand clenched into shaking fists as the dust cleared.  
  
Shadi was nowhere in site. All that remained was the Millennium Key on the floor.  
  
"4 priests down, and two more to go," Bakura said evilly, walking forward toward the key.  
  
"NO!" Yami cried angrily, forgetting all else in his mind. "Ra! Attack Bakura!"  
  
"Wait, Pharaoh!" Isis cried, but it was too late.   
  
Diabound reappeared and send an attack right at Ra, causing a giant explosion that shook the entire palace.  
  
Dust flew up in our faces as Ra fell the ground, weak from the attack.  
  
*******  
  
{A huge explosion was heard from the streets of the village and everyone looked outside in curiosity and fear.  
  
"What was that?!" Mokuba cried, looking around.  
  
Anzu looked forward at the palace in the distance. Dust was coming up from it and rising high into the sky, where it was quite visible against the velvet sky of the night.  
  
"The palace!" she cried, taking Mokuba's hand and running forward.  
  
******  
  
Malik walked out from the burial site and looked around. People were running in all directions, soldiers everywhere, and people in complete chaos.  
  
"What is going on?" he mumbled to himself, looking around for a familiar face.  
  
"Lishito!" he cried, seeing his friend in the crowd and wading through the people to get to him. "Lishito!"  
  
Lishito turned around at the sound of his friend's voice.  
  
"Malik!" he called, grabbing his hand and pulling him off to the side.  
  
"What's going on, Lishito?" he asked curiously.  
  
  
  
"There was some sort of explosion at the palace. I think we ought to go check it out," Lishito said, looking forward. "If you don't mind coming out of the embalming area, come on! I know a back route."  
  
Malik smiled.  
  
"In an emergency, I think even the Pharaoh would allow it," he said, running after his friend.  
  
********  
  
Amber and Ryuji looked up and noticed the dust from the palace as well.  
  
"That's where that girl was heading, wasn't it?" Amber asked him, clutching his arm.  
  
Ryuji sighed.  
  
"Come on then! Let's see if anyone's in trouble!" he said, running down the path with Amber behind him.}  
  
*********  
  
Bakura looked at Yami with a satisfactory smile. Ra lay dead on the floor, and Yami looked shocked.  
  
"Even Ra was no match for a WEAKENED Diabound," he snickered, looking around at Seto and Isis.  
  
"Now, which one of you wants to go next?" Bakura asked Isis and Seto.  
  
His eyes fixated on Seto.  
  
"Let's destroy that annoying dragon of yours, priest," he barked at Seto, beckoning Diabound forward to attack.  
  
"White Dragon can take it," I declared, turning around, but my Ka was nowhere in site! It had retreated again.  
  
"Oh no!" I cried as Diabound launched an attack, straight for me.  
  
"Die!" Bakura yelled, as the attack flew through the air and toward me, unprotected by anything...  
  
*********  
  
End of Chapter 9  
  
"Chapter Ten Coming soon! (Today or tomorrow) But for now, PLEASE review and let us know what you think so far!"  
  
Thanks! 


	10. Chapter 10: The Seven Sacrifices

Chapter 10: The Seven Sacrifices  
  
NOTES: Okay, for Mako, I don't know where I'm going to end off a chapter when I'm writing. I usually write about 5 pages and then wrap the chapter up. So expect more death(s) this chapter.  
  
Okay! Now, what else was there to say...?  
  
"*anime sweatdrop* Another WARNING, of course!"  
  
Ah, yes, that's right. Oh, and if anyone notices, this is one of the few chapters with a name, and it's a pretty straightforward name that probably gives away most of the chapter. ^_~  
  
And also, thanks to everyone who reviewed because I really appreciated it. ^_^  
  
"Now, on with this chapter!" **LONG CHAPTER ALERT!**  
  
* * * * * *   
  
Chapter 10: The Seven Sacrifices  
  
The attack hurtled through the air, straight at me. And without my White Dragon to protect me against it, I would be attacked directly, and destroyed, just like Shadi.  
  
There wasn't time to summon a new monster, or time to run. There was nothing I could do...  
  
I shut my eyes and prepared to take the attack, when suddenly, I heard a terrible explosion, and I looked up.  
  
"What is this?!" Bakura cried, his eyes wide.  
  
Isis's Ka, the Spirit Superior had gotten in the path of the attack and taken it for me! The Ka was destroyed from the attack, but that would mean...if Isis's Ka had been destroyed, she...  
  
I turned around quickly and saw Isis had fallen to the stone ground in a crumpled heap. There was no denying what had happened, but Yami and I ran over to her anyway.  
  
"Isis!" Yami cried, shaking her shoulder furiously.  
  
I couldn't say anything. Isis...had given up her own life to save mine? I couldn't believe she was...gone.  
  
One teardrop of Yami's fell to the stone floor with a small splat. He rose up and turned to face Bakura again, leaving Isis's body on the floor.  
  
"Five priests down, one and a Pharaoh to go," Bakura said with a laugh.  
  
That laugh put me over the edge.  
  
"GO WHITE DRAGON!" I cried, and the White Dragon appeared.  
  
As angry as I was with it for retreating when I hadn't told it to, I needed it to defeat Bakura once and for all. And I would do that! I would make him pay for all the people he had murdered with his horrible monster.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
{Anzu and Mokuba hurried down the streets that were now rabidly filling with people.  
  
"Come on! The palace is just ahead!" Anzu cried, tugging on Mokuba's hand to make him hurry.  
  
The two ran up to the palace, through the arches that separated the palace from the city, and up to the window of the palace. Anzu leaned inside the room slowly, then pulled herself abruptly back out, gasping.  
  
"What is it?" Mokuba demanded, leaning to look in himself. "Wow." He breathed, but in a saddened sense, not in an amazed sense.  
  
Inside, the Pharaoh and Priest Seto were battling against some man with a huge beast. A White Dragon was in front of Seto and a weakened god monster was on the floor near Yami.  
  
The body of a woman was lying on the floor near the back of the room, though dead or unconscious, Mokuba couldn't tell.  
  
"Don't watch, Mokuba," Anzu said, recognizing the man they were fighting against.   
  
It was the same thief who had murdered the other priest from before. Anzu shivered as she pulled the young boy away from the window. The Pharaoh had to beat this man! He had to!  
  
"Hey!" Mokuba cried in a whisper as Anzu pulled him away. "I want to see Seto-sama."  
  
Anzu shook her head fearfully, but Mokuba looked back in to watch anyway.}  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
"White Dragon!" I roared, my anger clouding all thoughts of reason from my mind. The only think I could see was Bakura and Diabound, and I wanted with all my might to destroy both of them.  
  
"Seto! Wait!" Yami cried, but I couldn't hear him.  
  
"Attack again!" I cried, but it was no use. As soon as my attack neared the beast, Diabound returned to Bakura's mind.  
  
"Darn!" I shouted.  
  
"Seto listen to me! We have to combine our powers to defeat Bakura!" Yami shouted at me.  
  
Weakened, and out of ideas, I had no other choice but to listen to Yami.  
  
"What is your plan, Pharaoh?" I asked in a small voice.  
  
Yami looked up at Diabound, which had no reappeared.  
  
"Attack when I tell you to," Yami said confidently, the Millennium Puzzle glowing around his neck.  
  
I nodded, though unsure of what Yami had in mind.  
  
Yami turned to face Bakura.  
  
"All right," Yami said through gritted teeth, obviously working hard to restrain his true emotions. "It's my turn now. And I play a trap: Mask of Weakness."  
  
A large blue mask appeared on the face of Diabound, and it screamed that awful shriek that echoed through the palace, and off the stone walls.  
  
"Now, Seto," Yami declared, turning to me.  
  
"Attack!" I cried, and the White Dragon flew forward to attack him again.  
  
"Foolish, Pharaoh!" Bakura laughed. "Come back, Diabound."  
  
No! I thought to myself. All the traps and energy spent in an attack would be useless if he could retreat to Bakura's mind.  
  
"I don't think so!" Yami cried, his puzzle glowing brightly and white shimmering swords appearing around Diabound, locking it in place.  
  
Bakura's jaw dropped.  
  
"Diabound...cannot move!" he cried, baffled.  
  
Yes! I thought in my mind. No creature could withstand an attack like that! It was over...  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
{Malik and Lishito hurried down the back-paths together, hurrying toward the palace.  
  
"Hurry, Malik!" Lishito called as he climbed over the short fencing around the palace.  
  
Malik was looking at the splendid palace in awe. He had never been so close to it in his life.  
  
"Malik?" Lishito inquired, turning back to his friend as he jumped over the column. "Let us hurry. Someone may need our help."  
  
Malik blinked and shook his head.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lishito," he apologized as he followed his friend over the fence. "It's just, I've never been so close to the palace before."  
  
Lishito smiled and nodded.}  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
As the white lightning neared Bakura's Diabound, suddenly, the Millennium Ring around his neck began to glow, and something appeared in front of Diabound, blocking it from my attack.  
  
"Trap activated! Waboku." He said smugly as priest-like men appeared and accepted the attack for Diabound.  
  
"No," I whispered, looking at the situation in disbelief.  
  
Everything was gone now. Yami's swords had worn off, my monster had used most of its energy on the last attack, and there was no other plan left.   
  
"Diabound! Attack the priest's monster!" Bakura cried, and Diabound launched another attack.  
  
I looked to my side, expecting the White Dragon Ka to have hidden itself away in my mind, but it was still there. It had stayed by my side to protect me…  
  
But even so, there was nothing left that I could do to save it.  
  
"Thank you, white dragon…" I said softly as the attack of Diabound's came whirling towards us…  
  
"Seto!" Yami cried as the White Dragon Ka was hit, and fell, dying to the floor.  
  
But because if the Ka dies or leaves, the person whose heart it lives inside will die, I didn't have much time left.  
  
There was one thing left I could do, and that was a risk. I pulled off the end of the Millennium Rod, revealing a sharp dagger-like point at the end. If I could throw correctly and hit Bakura, the kingdom could still be saved.  
  
Weakly, I took aim and threw it at an unsuspecting Bakura.  
  
"What?" I heard him cry and he moved aside just in time, letting the blade only graze his arm as I fell to the ground.  
  
"Seto!" I heard Yami cry again, this further away, and more distant as the world around me began to swirl.  
  
"You have to win...Pharaoh..." I managed to say, and then everything went black.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
{"No!" Mokuba gasped, his eyes wide with horror as he watched the one he looked up to fall dead to the floor. "No!"  
  
Anzu grabbed the boy by his shoulders, and pulled him out of the window. She was shaking with fright herself, and let the boy put his arms around her and cry on her shoulder.  
  
"Don't watch," she repeated softly, her voice shaking, though hardly that would console the boy.  
  
"Why?" he sobbed, hugging her tightly, even though she was practically a complete stranger to him. "Why...did...he...?"  
  
Anzu just sat on the ground, bewildered. The last priest had fallen. Now what would the Pharaoh do? Could he win alone?}  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
{"NO!" Lishito and Malik heard, echoing around the areas of the palace.  
  
Malik spun around.  
  
"What was that?" he asked, looking up at his friend.  
  
Lishito looked around.  
  
"I'm...not sure," he said, breaking into a run, Malik behind him.}  
  
* * * * * *  
  
It was a strange feeling. Although my body was still lying motionless on the floor, Yami sadly bending over me, I felt as though I was floating above myself.  
  
I could see Bakura, and Yami, Isis's body, and Diabound, but...wasn't I dead?  
  
"Your body is dead," Came a soft voice that I recognized from behind me.  
  
I turned around to see a shadowy outline of Isis.  
  
"Isis!" I cried, amazed to see her.  
  
She gave a small smile, then turned back to the scene on the floor. I looked back at the ground too. I understood, too. I was dead, but my spirit was not. I hoped Yami would be able to defeat Bakura...  
  
"Seto! Seto!" Yami cried, but it was no use.  
  
I knew he couldn't wake me. Obviously he figured that out too, as he clenched his fists and stood up, glaring at Bakura with fury in his crimson eyes.  
  
"Six priests down, and one Pharaoh left..." Bakura taunted still, pushing the Pharaoh to his limits.  
  
"Enough!" Yami cried angrily, the puzzle glowing more brightly than it ever had before.  
  
"Face it Pharaoh. You may as well surrender," Bakura said in his sing-song, annoying voice.  
  
"Don't give up, Pharaoh," Isis whispered, her transparent hand up at her heart.  
  
I looked around the rest of the room. Shadi's spirit was watching the battle as well, from the other end of the room. I also noticed someone at the window...watching the battle from the outside...  
  
It was that dancer from before, holding someone in her arms. I floated over to see who it was, but when I did, I felt a little twinge in my heart.  
  
It was Mokuba, the little boy who had come to see me several times before. He had seemed so impressed with everything I did, and always wore a smile on his face.  
  
I wish he hadn't been here to see this battle...  
  
A movement from the battle on the floor caused me to look back down at the fight. Yami had summoned out his own Ka! Kuribo, and it was now standing beside him.  
  
"Kuribo?" Bakura laughed, looking amused.  
  
"Don't laugh!" Yami snapped angrily, Kuribo frowning also, giving a squeak of annoyance.  
  
"Why not?" Bakura inquired. "Pharaoh, I've already killed all of your priests, you've nothing left to beat me with."  
  
"That's not true," Yami declared, closing his eyes for a moment, as if in meditation. "My friends didn't just die, they sacrificed themselves in the battle against evil. And their sacrifices will not be in vain. I'll tell you this! The seven sacrifices will seal the darkness!"*  
  
Bakura cocked his head.  
  
"Seven sacrifices? But you only had six priests, right, Pharaoh?" Bakura inquired, confused. "Or are you going mad already?"  
  
Yami grinned a sad grin.  
  
"Yes, but the seventh sacrifice is myself!" he declared, the puzzle glowing again. "I used the magic spell Multiply to turn one Kuribo into a hundred Kuribos."  
  
As the hundreds of Kuribo's appeared, Bakura looked shocked.  
  
"What?!" he cried, backing up a little. "What can those Kuribos do?"  
  
"Although when Kuribo dies, so will I, but the Kuribo's self-destruct on contact with the enemy, causing your Diabound to die as well!" Yami declared, thrusting his hand forward.  
  
"Go, Kuribos!" he cried, and the tiny creatures flew over to Diabound and covered him, exploding at the touch of his skin.  
  
"NOOO!" Bakura cried, picking up the rod that had fallen on the ground, causing it to glow.  
  
"What?!" I cried as he began to use its powers.  
  
"Now erase the Pharaoh's memory, and everyone else's memory of him!" he cried, and a there was an even large explosion.  
  
Yami cried out, his mind being wiped of all memories, but it was too late to stop the Kuribo's attack. They exploded, and Diabound went down with them, and both creatures fell to the ground, and vanished.  
  
Yami and Bakura both fell over as well, and their bodies vanished, their Millennium Items glowing brightly for a moment, and then the light fading slowly from both. The puzzle shattered into several hundred pieces as it hit the ground, the pieces clanking on the stone floor.  
  
I blinked, and turned to Isis.  
  
"Isis...what...?" I inquired and she looked over at me.  
  
"The darkness was sealed," she said with a sad smile. "But so was the Pharaoh."  
  
"Where?" I asked, anxious.  
  
"In the items," she said, looking back down at the still fighting area. Two men ran in, one tall darker colored one, and a smaller boy with beige hair.  
  
"What...what happened in here?" [Malik] asked, looking around and noticing Isis' and my bodies.  
  
[Lishito] walked over and examined the bodies, then turned sadly around to face his friend.  
  
"They're both dead," he sighed, looking at the rest of the room.  
  
On the floor were four Millennium Items, the Key, Rod, Necklace, (although it was still around Isis's neck) and the Millennium Puzzle, but it was broken into hundreds of pieces on the ground. (The Ring, was no where in sight)  
  
So the evil was beaten, I thought to myself, floating back over to Mokuba and Anzu.  
  
"It's alright," Anzu said softly to him, although tears were running down her cheeks as well.  
  
"It's not fair," Mokuba said through his tears.  
  
"I know it's not," Anzu replied, brushing away her own tears. "But they died honorably. They sealed the darkness with their sacrifices, just like the Pharaoh said..." she trailed off, realizing she had forgotten the Pharaoh's name.  
  
Mokuba nodded, and turned away from her to look back in the room. By now, many citizens of the village were flocking inside the palace, looking around and wondering what happened.  
  
"Seto," Isis called from where she was floating in the air, Shadi beside her. "We must go on now."  
  
I turned to look back at Mokuba once more.  
  
"Take care of yourself, Mokuba," I thought. "Good-bye."  
  
And Isis, Shadi, and I vanished from the palace, satisfied that the evil would remain sealed forever.  
  
* * * * * * **Sniff** *The quote about the sealing the darkness with the seven sacrifices comes from the Japanese episode of the Mystery Duelist. (2) Yami Bakura said it, and that's where I got my idea for that line. 


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
Notes: Since Priest Seto is...gone, (**sniff**) none of this chapter will be from his point of view, EXCEPT the ending, which connects with the beginning of the story.  
  
And thanks for reading and reviewing all the previous chapters of this story!  
  
"We're glad you all liked it!"  
  
Now, on with the epilogue, and conclusion to the story!  
  
******  
  
Epilogue:  
  
{Amber and Ryuji ran up the palace stairs and up to the door. When they reached the inside, they shoved their way past the people crowing around to see what had happened.  
  
Amber gasped, noticing the two dead bodies on the floor.  
  
"What...what happened?!" she cried, backing up and putting her hand to her mouth in horror.  
  
Ryuji made his way forward to some of the soldiers who had been standing around the bodies of Seto and Isis. (Yami's, Shadi's, and Bakura's had vanished, remember)  
  
"What happened here?" Ryuji demanded.  
  
A soldier looked up at the man.  
  
"It seems that two more of the priests were killed, a third vanished during an attack, and Pharaoh...Pharaoh...oh THE Pharaoh vanished along with the thief," One informed Ryuji.  
  
Ryuji gasped and looked down at the bodies. The priest and priestess they had talked with earlier, and the Pharaoh...dead?!  
  
Amber looked around, hoping to find Anzu, and suddenly spotted the dancer across the room, sitting outside the window with someone. Amber ran over and leaned out the window.  
  
"Anzu!" she cried, causing Anzu to look up at her.  
  
"You..." she said softly, looking saddened.  
  
"Did you...SEE what happened?" Amber asked quietly, looking strangely down at Mokuba in her arms.  
  
Anzu nodded.  
  
"And...this kid did too?" Amber inquired.  
  
Anzu nodded again.  
  
"One of the priests was his friend," Anzu explained, gently patting Mokuba's back comfortingly.  
  
Amber nodded slowly, then leaned out the window a bit more.  
  
"Hey, kid?" she said in a sweet and cheery voice.  
  
Mokuba looked up at her, his cheeks tear-stained.  
  
"Hm?" he mumbled uninterestedly.  
  
Amber smiled.  
  
"Listen, I know this is hard for you, but don't worry," she said, Anzu remembering a similar conversation with her earlier.  
  
"You're friend's not gone forever," she continued.  
  
"Yes he is," Mokuba said stubbornly, looking as though he were about to cry again.  
  
Amber shook her head.  
  
"No, you'll see him again someday," she said gently.  
  
"When?" Mokuba asked, looking up at her.  
  
"In the afterlife," she replied, looking up at the sky. "But for now, just remember what he did, and try to be just as great as you thought he was."  
  
Mokuba didn't reply.  
  
"Someday, you may even become a priest of the Pharaoh's," Amber concluded. "So stand up and go on home to your parents for now, okay?"  
  
Mokuba looked at the ground as he stood up.  
  
"I don't have any parents to go home to," he mumbled sadly.  
  
Amber patted his shoulder.  
  
"All right then," she said brightly, stepping out of the window. "Come with me then."  
  
Mokuba walked after her as she walked back into the palace. Before she disappeared around the corner, she looked over at Anzu.  
  
"You better go check on the rest of your band," she suggested, then gave a small smile before walking into the palace.  
  
Anzu gave a weak smile back, but as soon as Amber disappeared, so did her smile. She sighed and sat down on the stone edge of the stone window.  
  
*********  
  
The crowd inside had begun buzzing as loud as angry bees with confusion and curiosity at what happened.  
  
"The Pharaoh and the priests died?"  
  
"That is what I believe..."  
  
"...what was the Pharaoh's name again? I can't believe it but I've forgotten!"  
  
Ryuji boldly walked past the soldiers and got up on a piece of higher ground so the crowd could see him.  
  
"All right, people!" he cried loudly, directing all the attentions of the crowd toward himself.  
  
"Thank you," Ryuji said loudly and clearly.  
  
"Hey! Get that civilian out of here!" One of the soldiers yelled and the others nodded.  
  
A man in the crowd raised his hand.  
  
"Hey! Let's hear what he has to say!" he protested, looking anxiously up at Ryuji.  
  
The soldiers look taken aback, but allowed Ryuji to continue.  
  
"All right now!" Ryuji called, calling order once more. "I don't have all the answers everyone wants, but I do have some advice."  
  
Malik and Lishito were still over by the bodies, but where watching Ryuji as well as everyone else. Even Anzu was watching from the window.  
  
"What has just happened, for those who don't know, is that the Pharaoh and the remaining priests died in sealing in the evil of that thief."  
  
People in the crowd gasped.  
  
"In other words, we are free from the evil," Ryuji added. "But since our Pharaoh...who's name I've...forgotten," Ryuji paused a minute, waiting for the name to come back to him, but he couldn't remember.  
  
"But since the Pharaoh and the ones who helped him are dead, it is our duty to keep the memory of what they did alive."  
  
Malik looked down at the Millennium Necklace and Rod in his hands. (He'd gone and retrieved them.)  
  
"We must keep the Millennium Items safe from those who would use them for evil," Ryuji continued. "Though the items were created for good, apparently the risk is too great for them to be used as an evil force controlling them creates a deadly and dangerous power."  
  
"I can protect this necklace and this rod," Malik said. "And I can keep the memory of their deeds alive as well."  
  
"I will assist you, Malik," Lishito added and the crowd murmured.  
  
"The trustworthy embalmer and stone worker will take on that responsibility," Ryuji announced. "And who can look after the key?"  
  
"I can," Said a woman. "My clan and I are very respectable and we will guard it well."  
  
Ryuji recognized the woman and nodded.  
  
"Yes, you may," he said, bending down and picking up the pieces of the Millennium Puzzle.  
  
"And I will attempt to reassemble this puzzle," he said, looking hard at it. "And together, we will make sure that they are never forgotten, nor the items used for evil again."  
  
The crowd cheered loudly and clapped as Ryuji made his way back toward Amber.  
  
"You were great," she commented, her hand on Mokuba's shoulder.  
  
Ryuji raised an eyebrow.  
  
"He has no family, his best friend died, and he's depressed," Amber whispered in his ear.  
  
Ryuji raised his hands in defense.  
  
"No problem!" he replied, picking up a box on the floor and putting the puzzle piece in it. "Maybe he can help me but this thing back together..."  
  
********  
  
Ryuji was never able to solve the puzzle, and eventually gave it to Anzu, the dancer, to take with her on her travels, in hopes of finding someone who could solve it.  
  
Malik started an organization called the "Grave Watchers," that would accept people who would be his and Lishito's successors in watching and protecting the one piece of information regarding the Pharaoh that was left, a tablet portraying a duel, and the Millennium Rod and Necklace.  
  
The woman who had taken the Key put it among her family's most treasured items, and kept it safe from others.  
  
And as for the ring that had mysteriously vanished that tragic day, the magician and sly thief, Arkana, took it back to the stone tablet and placed it with the eye and the scales, in hopes of one day collecting them all and obtaining the dark magic, as Bakura had tried to. (Rest assured, he never succeeded)}  
  
********  
  
So now what do you say, after hearing my story? Do I still seem evil to you? Well, I don't think I was, though who knows what years and years of passing down tales has done to my reputation.  
  
It's like a game a telephone. Each generation tells a story slightly different from the true one, until finally, it becomes something completely different from the original.  
  
The ancient stories become, ancient lies.  
  
********  
  
END OF STORY  
  
"What did you think?"  
  
Leave us a review and let us know! Thanks for reading, and check out my other stories for more action/adventure! ^_^ 


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